Share in the spoil

As embarrassing as this is to admit, recently I've been feeling a little jealous of Jeremy spiritually.  He has gotten to do a lot of really cool and "big" things for God, and be used in really profound ways.  I realize just how worldly this sounds.  I understand that I should not be a piece of clay questioning what the potter has purposed me for, and I should not be an ear wishing to be an eye.  That said, the reality is that I have been jealous.  That I have heard all of the cool stories of things that the Lord has done through Jeremy and I have wanted to have an active part in those.  This week the Lord has been comforting me with a passage that a wiser, older woman shared with me years ago...

1 Samuel 30:21-25  Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.”  But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.”  And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.

I find comfort in knowing that in this season, in which often times I am "staying with the baggage" and am watching over our home and child, that I still share in the spoil as if I had gone out to the battle.

::this week::

cooking:  pesto tomato soup with grilled cheeses, lemon bars, portobello mushroom pizzas (mushrooms stuffed with marinara sauce, cheese, and turkey pepperoni), portobello mushrooms stuffed with spinach artichoke dip, chicken sausages

listening:  Bryan and Katie Torwalt... their lyrics have been coming alive to me this week.  I've been praying and worshipping my way through the entire cd while I cook and do housework. 

reading:  finishing Exodus and starting Leviticus, Practicing His Presence, The Discipline Book

doing:  a marriage retreat with our church on Friday and Saturday.  cooked food for the memorial service on Wednesday for the man murdered on our street last week.  hosting several dinners with friends.

praying:  for the marriages in our church, and the marriage retreat this weekend.  for our city... for freedom from this chain of violence.  for this generational sin to be severed in the name of Jesus.  for this poverty mentality to be severed in the name of Jesus.  for the families of the man murdered last week, and for the families of the multiple murders this week.  for racial reconciliation... to see unity and fellowship among all races in our city.  to see the walls that have been built up for years torn down in the name of Jesus.  for healing of these hurts, prejudices, and judgments.  to move into a more full experience of the beautiful, diverse body of Christ.  praying and fasting for our homes again this week, and praying for the other ladies doing the same.

praising:  God is so cool!  He has been working, speaking to, and using Jeremy and I in such creative ways.  It's so awesome to be a part of!  super thankful this week for the way He is at work in some of our friendships, really deepening them and bringing them into a sense of family.  praising Him for new breakthroughs and freedom in some of our friends.  for His freedom in my heart... many months ago I was so judgmental and critical over our church and the leadership... now He has filled me with so much grace and love that I don't have a single negative thought in that area.

pondering:  1) As I finished Exodus I was pondering just how awesome and powerful God is.  He performed so many powerful signs and wonders... the plagues on Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, manna, and more.  We have this same God, with this same power seeking to do equally powerful works today and I am ready to see Him in action!  Yet, despite His majesty and works the Israelites were so unfaithful, so quick to grumble and complain or worship false Gods.  Praying that I would not grow out of touch with the miracles that He does in my life as the Israelites did back then.  Praying that I would have mental altars (as the Israelites had physical altars) reminding me of His many works, gifts, and encounters. 2) Thinking of how vibrant the celebration was for the man who was murdered in our neighborhood.  At how his friends and family celebrated him with such passion.  The street was filled with people dancing, music was blasting, a brass band even marched down the block.  Wanting to see us celebrate our God with this same fervor.  To worship Him with such passion.  To celebrate baptisms with such enthusiasm.  To celebrate the lives of our friends in family n such an exuberant manner.

stepping into: a season of more obedience to God.  I have tended to pick and choose what I will and won't do for God.  I have tended to not do anything out of my comfort zone or that was too much of an inconvenience for me.  thankful for small opportunities this week to obey and experience Him in ways that were not comfortable for me, in ways that I was scared I would like stupid and be uncomfortable... particularly in approaching the family of the man that was murdered, and in giving a friend a word from the Lord that was sort of weird and out of the box.  grateful for the strength and courage He gave me in these areas and excited to see Him increase my territory as I'm being faithful with the bits and pieces He is giving me.

Thai Chicken Enchiladas

I made these Thai Chicken Enchiladas and they were delicious, perhaps the best things that I've made this year!  I really didn't expect much from them either, I pinned the recipe months ago, but thought it might be fusion food gone wrong and ignored it.  Then one of my favorite bloggers tried it and raved about it so I decided to give it a try, still not expecting much, and wow!  did they over deliver!

I doubled the chicken, doubled the sauce, and quadrupled the veggies to fill 8 10" whole wheat tortillas.  The only other thing that I changed was that after I finished the filling I sampled it and found it very milk.  To me, Thai food should be spicy, so I added 1 tsp or sriracha sauce to the sauce, and 4 tsp sriracha sauce to the filling.  This gave it a great kick without being overly spicy. 

19 months

Here's what is new with Noah this month according to babyceter.com;

The vocabulary of a typical 19-month-old toddler may consist of as few as ten words or as many as 50. Yours may be able to link two or more words together, and is starting to use more "action" words. Verbs like "go" and "jump" are common, and so is linking a verb with her name (or pronoun), as in "Come me," meaning "Come with me." (It will be some months before she inserts the preposition.) Many 19-month-olds are also well-versed in direction words such as "up," "down," "under," "out," and "in."

You'll also discover that when you read familiar stories, if you pause at certain points in the text, your toddler will fill in the blank. To test this, next time you're reading a book that your toddler has heard dozens of times, pause at the end of a sentence and see what happens. If Goodnight Moon is a bedtime standard, try this: "In the great green room, there was a telephone and a red ..." "Balloon!" she'll likely shout.

Looking at picture books with your toddler, and labeling the objects for her, will help build her vocabulary. While you're at it, explain to her what the object does, what sounds it makes, or what it feels like. For instance, you might say, "This is a horse. Horses are big. They run fast," or "Here's a fire truck. It's red." You get the idea. And if you want proof that your child understands more words than she can say, when you're looking at books, ask her, "Where's the red tractor?" or "Where's the white horse?" and odds are she'll point right to it.

Toddlers learn by touching, holding, and moving objects from one place to another. They struggle to push or pull heavy objects, toss light ones across a room, and observe how small objects literally slip between their fingers. Experts call this "motor learning," and this constant testing teaches children about size, weight, and shape. You may think it's just fun for her, and even get frustrated with the inevitable messes that your 19-month-old's explorations create, but she's learning about perception and spatial relationships, concepts that will be important in a few years when she's introduced to math. This is an age when many toddlers enjoy trying to match shapes together, so a shape-sorting box is an ideal toy for a 19-month-old.

Starting last month, you may have noticed that your child was finally interested in playing with toys. This month she may become engrossed in a favorite plaything for 20 or 30 minutes — an eternity to you if your child has been unwilling to let you out of arm's reach.

Since toddlers tend to be enthusiastic explorers, be sure to choose toys that are safe. Board books, musical instruments, nesting blocks and boxes, stacking toys, toy telephones (without cords), and push-and-pull toys are top toys for toddlers. Make sure the toys, and any parts attached to them, are too large to be swallowed, do not have detachable parts that could pose a choking hazard, won't break into small pieces if thrown on the ground, don't have sharp points or edges, and don't have moveable parts that could pinch fingers.

I think I say this every month, but this is such a fun age!

Noah says lots of words, probably close to 100.  He will basically repeat any word that he hears us say.  He is also putting some sentences together.  His current favorites are "I dropped the ....", "I got you", "I pooped again", and "I want to read that one book" (I didn't say the sentences are grammatically correct). 

At his 18 month checkup Noah was healthy, growing well, and weighed just under 28 pounds.

Just this month Noah has seemed to start playing more by himself, and not always wanting/ needing us to interact with him.  Until this month he has pretty much wanted my attention all of the time and I've had to reserve cleaning and cooking for nap times, unless they are simple tasks that he can help with.  But this month he has started to contently play on his own for up to 30 minutes at a time, sometimes multiple times a day.  He still likes to be in the same room as me and near me, but he doesn't go looking for trouble just because he doesn't have my undivided attention anymore (at least not most of the time).

We put Noah's potty in the bathroom and have started talking to him about the potty and letting him sit on it.  He seems interested, but not yet telling us before he needs to go.

The Bayou is his favorite place, and he asks to go there several times a day.  Then upon arriving he wants to pick a bunch of clover flowers.  He really loves flowers and asks for them several times a day.

For the first time Noah seems to be starting to get attached to some toys.  He always wants his stuffed giraffe and crocheted blanket when he goes to sleep, and he usually likes to walk around hanging on to them for a while after he wakes up.

He is also starting to nap longer.  We've mostly been down to 1 nap a day for a few months, but since he wasn't used to this transition that nap was only lasting about an hour to an hour and a half.  Now, more often than not, that nap tends to last 2=3 hours... which has been wonderful for me finding time to shower, cook, and clean!

 

Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

I made these Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars. They were good, maybe a solid "B". I didn't think this was possible, but they almost had too many chocolate chips for me, next time I think I'd reduce them down to 1-1.5 cups. I only had 5 oz of caramels around, so I had less sauce then called for also, but they still turned out great.

::this week::

cooking:  iced coffee, sun-dried tomato pesto pasta, pizza, Thai chicken enchiladas, salted caramel cookie bars, salad with tangy tomato dressing, garlic noodles, black bean rice and corn casserole, hummus, spinach and mozzarella breakfast casserole

reading:  Exodus, Practicing His Presence, The Discipline Book

praising:  the glory and faithfulness of God.  that His mercies are new every morning.  that He is doing a great work in our church family and pouring out His Spirit upon our body!

praying:  1.) for our city, and neighborhood.  mourning for a shooting on our street that took the life of a 21 year old man.  the lack of value for life around here is so sad.  the fact that this is nothing, a regular occurrence in this city is so sad.  praying that I never get desensitized to things like this even though they happen all of the time around here.  praying comfort for the families... that this would spark life change... that it would put an end to the generational sin and poverty mentality that is continuing to be passed down from generation to generation.  praying for the salvation, freedom, and healing that only Jesus can bring for this city.  2.) praying and fasting (along with our women's ministry) to intercede for the homes in New Orleans... that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit and centered on Him.  that they would be houses of worship, of prayer, of hospitality.  that they would be places of refuge for our families.

doing:  hosting a few friends over for dinner throughout the week and community group.  planning a ladies and kiddos zoo trip for Friday.  need to work on the project I keep putting off of backing up all of our pictures and videos that are on our computer.

creating:  still working on putting new velcro on all of Noah's diapers, some Father's Day cards, and some baby shower decorations

Iced Coffee

I followed this recipe to make an iced coffee concentrate to keep in the fridge.  I halved the recipe, because I didn't have a container big enough to pour the entire recipe into.  After I strained it and poured into a pitcher, I stirred in a small container of fat free sweetened condensed milk.  This was perfect for me, poured over a large glass of ice.  Too perfect in fact.  This is dangerous to have around.  I do like my coffee strong though, and black when drinking it hot, so I'm thinking that others may still want to add some cream/ milk and sugar when pouring this coffee concentrate over ice.  I used cheapo generic coffee for this and it turned out well, so I'm thinking it would be even better with the good stuff.