Thanksgiving UPdate

WOW! Thanksgiving came and went in a big hurry, didn't it? Hope yours was a blessed one!

Our attempt at making my mom's dressing turned out not-so-great. Let's just say she didn't really give specific directions, and it was more fun making it than eating it! Since we were already in the kitchen I decided to try a new concoction: butterscotch chex mix. I got this idea because Smooch's friend had made these over-the-top butterscotch rice krispie treats with chocolate icing....ooooh...the kind of treat that, upon the first bite, you hear yourself exclaim, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!" Well, b-chips don't really melt the same way c-chips do so, disappointed, I left the mixing bowl on the counter...spoon still stuck in it...and I think Scott ate it down, down, down to China town.

Took M on Wed to see Santa. To prep him before we left the house, I walked him over to our tree where we have a small ornament with last year's photo. I looked at the photo...looked at M....and realized I had bought him almost the exact same holiday outfit as last year!!! Someone please help me out of this fashion box that I'm stuck in! So his photos look almost the same...only he's bigger.

We left Santa (BTW, M did not smile AT ALL...which made Santa's elves a little grumpy) and when we got to our car I realized I had left my camera at Santa's workshop! PANIC! It's difficult to run through the mall (in wedge heels!) holding a child half your size without looking panicked! The grumpiest of the elves handed it to me with a knowing look when I breathlessly arrived back at the sell-your-kidney-for-a-Santa-photo counter.

Relieved, M and I headed to an outdoor shopping area for a little photoshoot. Despite taking off my lens cap to find that my lens protector had been shattered (perhaps some elfish payback for my laughter at their feeble attempts to make M smile?), I was determined to get in some good practice...and sweet M was very cooperative! Below are some of the photos. Sorry some are so small. I edited them in Lightroom (a new program I am trying for my class) and I don't know how to make them bigger without sacrificing quality....and my Flickr account is maxed out for free uploads for this month!

happy thanksgiving!

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:1

VIP (very important post)

OK, I need to know two things about you. Two very important things.

1. In the shower, do you primarily stand facing the shower head or facing away from it? Now which way does your spouse face? (If you are single, please vote but ask a member of the opposite sex which way he faces in order to keep the numbers even.)

2. Refrigerated items such as salsa, mayo, dressing, etc., have expiration dates on them. After they have been opened, do you keep them until their exp date? Or do you think that the exp date becomes null and void upon opening and therefore toss the item prior to that date? For example, if last week you bought some salad dressing and the exp date is, say, March 2010...if you open it for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, would you keep it until March 2010?



I have put two "polls" in my sidebar to the left for your voting convenience!

post-o-rama!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you are feeling thankful as we head into this week of turkey-licious indulgence. One of the things I really wanted to learn from my mom before she passed was how to make dressing. No one makes it like my mom. The opportunity did not present itself, so I'm going to have to try it on my own. I have never (as in EVER) cooked a Thanksgiving meal before. Not even parts of the meal....well, at least not any important parts. In fact, Scott's side of the family asks yearly that I just bring salad...I think they figure I can't really mess up chopped vegetables.

M and I went to the store the other day and, as we were walking down the main aisle, he spotted the lingerie section. Now M has only seen my bras a handful of times...and they are not a topic of regular discussion...but boy did he know how to shout "BRA, BRA, MOM, BRA, MOM, BRA, BRA!" at the top of his lungs while leaning almost completely out of the cart to point at the displays. Good, good times these are.

Onto a completely different subject...you know those balance scales? The ones that have the two weighing trays? Here's my thought...at the end of the day, if you put your sins from the day on one side and your confessions of those sins on the other, would they balance? I don't mean this in a legalistic sense but in the idea that confession of our sins to God is good for our relationship with Him.

If you have accepted the forgiveness of Jesus for your sins, then your sins are forgiven.

FOR.GIV.EN. Period. Finished. The end.

However, sanctification is a process...and, as frustrating as it is, we do still sin. You may recall in John 13 when Jesus washed His disciples' feet. Peter said "wash my hands and head, too" but Jesus declined by stating, "He who is bathed needs only to wash [his] feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean..."

Through our faith in Christ, we are clean in the sense that we are forgiven and reconciled to God...and yet living in this world our feet do get dirty. One of M's Bibles shows a guy stepping in chicken poop in illustration for this story. Yep, there are days that my feet get pretty covered with the chicken poop of gossip, pride, selfishness, and idolatry (including BLOGGING!). And they need...I need...to be washed clean.

Think about when you have been wronged by someone you love and how genuine repentance and remorse by that person brings healing and growth to the relationship. Without repentance and remorse, the relationship will suffer. Perhaps, in shame, that person will begin to avoid you, possibly even cutting all ties with you. The same can happen with God and us. Whether or not we realize it, our sins can begin to weigh heavy upon our shoulders and the guilt causes us to stop seeking after God. Intimacy is broken. Additionally, our confessions basically say that we stand in agreement with what God says in sinful and, therefore, harmful to us. We line up our thinking with His. We submit to His truth.

Can't think of any sins to confess? Ask God to show you! Job inquired, "How many [are] my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin." Then you can pray Psalm 51 as a prayer requesting forgiveness.

Psalm 66:18 says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear." I do believe this is true and that we need to be mindful of this verse. But if today you are holding onto the guilt and shame of sin and it's keeping you from sweet fellowship with God, allow these verses to hug your heart:

Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, [are] good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.


I edited this w/out sound (my computer is on strike) so I have no clue if I cut off anything cute...


edited2add: Rebecca's Mark is home from Iraq and has shared a wonderfully encouraging post HERE!

New blog!

My precious friend, Kari, has a new blog called At Home Ministries.

I actually had a "date" with her last night, and it was like cool water to a thirsty soul. Kari is real and unpretentious...and she genuinely seeks to glorify God in all she does.

I encourage you to check out her new blog!

ONE DAY LEFT...

to help precious Owen come home!!!! Check out the To China for Owen Fundraiser. Entries will be accepted up till 11:59pm today, Friday, November 21.

in the fire

I've received many emails, comments, phone calls, and cards sharing your sympathy in my mom's passing, so I wanted to post how I've been doing...and what God's been doing.

You may know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego from the book of Daniel. These three God-lovin' guys refused to worship the golden image of King Nebuchadnezzar, so the King ordered them to be bound and thrown into the fiery furnace. In a fit of rage, Nebuchadnezzar demanded the furnace to be heated 7 times hotter than normal.

I'm a cold-booded girl and love the heat. Before my sweaty M came home, I used to drive with my heat on full blast and never turn it down until I arrived at my destination. Nevermind that my eyeballs would dry out and my fingertips catch on fire. I loved the almost-oppressive feel of the heat surrounding me. When I think of heat in terms of the trials in life, however, I'd prefer the thermostat to be set much lower. You know, cool and comfortable...like San Diego weather.

Sometimes we have little control over the things that heat up our lives...unforeseen financial troubles, debilitating illnesses, unfaithful spouses, untimely deaths of loved ones. They simply engulf us like vicious flames and leave us gasping for air...and just when we think we can't take any more, the heat is turned up like Nebuchadnezzar's furnace.

"I have a tumor in my lung."

I feel the heat.

"The cancer has spread to my brain."

Hotter.

"He told me to go home and prepare for hospice."

Hotter.

"Tish, she's gone."

How much hotter, Lord?

Back to the book of Daniel...the three men were thrown into the fiery furnace but, when the King looked inside it, he saw not three but four figures! The consensus of most Bible scholars is that the fourth figure was a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus. Jesus was there in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Yes, God allowed them to go through the fire, but He did not allow them to go through it alone.

I have read Philippians 4:7 many times and wondered about this peace which "surpasses all understanding." I know that this side of Heaven I'll never be able to comprehend the ways of an infinite God; however, I do know that He has been covering me in a peace that I have never felt before. During the week following my mother's death I found myself repeatedly asking Him, "Is this what your peace which surpasses understanding feels like?" This doesn't mean that there hasn't been (and will continue to be) grief...the deep grief of loss that mercilessly entangles itself around your heart and brings that heavy sense of ache. Yes, the grief has been present, but it has been overshadowed by His steady and faithful outpouring of peace.

I believe, in my case, this peace has come through the power of His Word and its unshakeable truth. Before I knew God, I would say something like "Oh, he/she is in a better place now" when someone passed away. I didn't know what I meant by that statement or that I even believed it. Just exactly where was that place and why was it better? It simply sounded like the right thing to say. Now, however, I lean on His words and the truths that they convey.

I know with confidence that
My mother was reconciled to God through her faith in Jesus.
Because of that, she is now in heaven with Jesus.
Heaven is a FAR better place.
She is not mourning her death.
She may have wondered "why me?" while on this earth, but now she has clear understanding.
I will see her again.

And back to Daniel one more time...when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came out of the furnace, they were not charred, singed, or burned. In fact, they didn't even smell of smoke. The only thing that had been destroyed by the fire? The ties that bound them. (Cool, huh?...but that's a whole other post by itself). Needless to say, King Nebuchadnezzar was astounded when he witnessed this. However, I love that the King did not say, "I will worship you, you flame-retardant fellows" or "All bow to the heat-resistant ones!"

No, he did not praise the men. Instead He praised the God of the men.

My God has been faithful. Jesus has not only walked through the fire with me, but He has carried me the entire way. Join me in praising Him!

This song has been my comfort food: ANCHOR OF MY SOUL
(Ooops, seems like this link isn't working. The song is by Telecast if you are interested in hearing it.)

And...because my mom would have shuddered at the thought of a post without photos....i'm still practicing, practicing, practicing...