{Rhubard Strawberry Ice Cream}

 

I know! Just when you thought Ginger Maple Ice Cream was weird...
This recipe, courtesy o' Better Homes and Gardens  is a sweet concoction with one, maybe two, rather strange ingredients but the end result is worth it.

 

 

As a matter of fact, I think I'll go have a bowl now.

Enjoy!

Guess What? {Part 2}

So originally, when I shared a few hints about what I was working on I thought I'd have something worthy of showing you by now.
False.
Three munchkins, as wonderful as they are, eat up my time as though it's their sole purpose in life! Needless to say, my craftiness has taken a serious blow. The most designing I've been able to accomplish these days is picking out what to dress the kids in each day.
Sad.
That's okay, though, because now we can play Guess What? Part Deux. {Please, control your enthusiasm!}

Maybe you've figured out what I'm working on by now but I'm certain you have no idea how good it's going to look when I finally finish!

Have a Happy Day!

{Beth's Chocolate Chip Cookies}

I grew up using the Toll House Cookie recipe but even as a kid I found them to be a bit crumbly, flat and unpredictable. Then, about a year ago, I tried cookies made from this recipe at my sister-in-law's house. They were given to her by her good friend Beth.
I HAD to have this recipe!
Thankfully, Beth is a wonderful woman and not only shared the recipe with me but gave me the okay to share it with you!
You have no idea how lucky you are!
A few things you should know... 1. this recipe makes a double batch (about 4 dozen) and it's easy to half if you'd like... but why would you do that?! 2. this recipe included the unusual ingredient of instant vanilla pudding so if you want to make it on a whim, be sure you have it handy.  and 3. be sure to factor in an hour of chilling time when making these. I don't want you getting all excited only to find out you have to wait a while before baking them. I promise they're worth it!

Beth's Chocolate Chip Cookies

What You'll Need:
4 1/2c all purpose flour
2 t baking soda
2 c butter, softened {if you don't have any soft and ready, you can melt it and let it cool a little}
1 1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
2 (3.4 oz) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
2 c chocolate chips
2 c chopped walnuts (optional)

What To Do:

In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, bream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.

Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended.

Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture.

Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Chill dough for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350.

Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. Edges should be golden brown.

Thou Shalt Not Fear Me

Over the course of the the past two plus years of being a parent I have been constantly awed and intimidated by the task of parenting that has been placed before me. I've read books on parenting. I've read LOTS of books. Most of them have said things I already knew but needed to be reminded of. Things like "consistency is key", "put your marriage first", "remember that each child is different", "don't discipline out of anger" ...
Recently I was smacked in the face with one of those things that I've always known but didn't realize I wasn't doing.
I guess you could sum it up as a recent Facebook status I read
"Rules-relationship=rebellion while rules+relationship=respect"
{I might even change the first equation to "rules-relationship=resentment}.
If your confused, let me explain.

I've been working my way through a book by Tedd Tripp called "Shepherding a Child's Heart". I started it before Bean was born and haven't been able to pick it up much since then but one of the last sections I read resonated with me. In the chapter entitled "You're In Charge", Tripp explains that as a parent we cannot be afraid to parent our children. It's our God-ordained duty to be an authority in our childrens' lives. At the same time, and this is where I was convicted, we are not to raise our children to obey us out of fear. Rather, we must understand that we are agents of the Father.

I think as a Christian parent it's easy to say the words that my children are "on loan" from God.
When I start to worry about my kids {that they'll drown in a pool when no one is looking, that they'll choke on their dinner when they eat too quickly, that they'll run away or get lost and never be found} my best defense is to remind myself that my children are not my possessions but rather gifts that God has given to Hubs and I to train for His will/glory. I know that I don't always act like I believe this but when I start to worry about the safety of my kids it helps to remember who's in control.
It's also helpful to remember that they're not mine because... well... it's the truth. They are on loan and they have been hand picked to be in my life so that I can raise them in the fear of the Lord and it is my job to always direct them to Him. Always.
I forget that too often. I forget that it's not about me... obeying my orders...making me happy... bringing joy into my life...
Ultimately, it's about bringing God glory.
It's what's expected of my life, my every thought, word, deed. And that is exactly what I am expected to teach the children placed into my care.
Boy, did I need this reminder.
I needed to be refocused.

"Understanding that you function as God's agents can keep you sharply focused and humble as parents. It is sobering to realize that you correct your child by God's command. You stand before him as God's agent to show him his sin. Just as an ambassador is conscious of functioning in behalf of the country that has sent him, so the parent must be aware of the fact that he is God's representative to the child. I know of no realization that will sober and humble a parent like this one." - Tedd Tripp
And with that said, we have no right to be angry because when a sin is committed it isn't committed against us but rather God. {That fact should make our children struggle a little.}
I have shared my favorite definition of "anger" before ...
"Anger is your reaction when you haven't received something you think you deserve".
Often, as a parent, I believe I deserve things like unquestioning children, immediate action, things done on my schedule, perfect obedience, minimal distraction from what I want to be doing...
Often, when I don't get these things I get angry and impatient with my kids.
WRONG!

I was raised in a home that, I feel, often demanded obedience and when I didn't obey immediately, the yelling began. Looking back, I know that it was for the sake of intimidation. Looking back, even now, I see how ineffective it was and how resentful it made me. I knew from an early age I didn't want to intimidate or exhaust my kids and yet I've caught myself doing it already.  I was raised to obey out of fear of my parents and the consequences but I did not have an obedient heart..
So it rings true, rules without a relationships bring resentment or rebellion and that's bad news for my relationship with my kids.
As Tripp says, "there is no place for anger". This kind of parenting manipulates your child using "raw displays of anger" and your child "learns the fear of man, not the fear of God... If correction orbits around the parent who has been offended, then the focus will be venting anger or, perhaps, taking vengeance. The function is puntivie. If, however, correction orbits around God as the one offended, then the focus is restoration. The function is remedial. It is designed to move a child who has disobeyed God back to the path of obedience. It's corrective... The primary thrust of discipline is not to take revenge, but to correct. The discipline of a child is a parent refusing to be a willing party to his child's death." - Tripp

The lesson I'm learning:
Remember, at all times, what my job as a parent is. My job is to lead, direct, point my child to Jesus in all things. When I expect my kids to obey me using fear/intimidation, I am not fostering a relationship. Rather, I am instilling anger and resentment into them and when the time comes, they will not want to listen to the truth's of Christ, as heard from my mouth, and I will have lost my credibility.

Wow! This parenting stuff is A LOT of work!

{Ginger Maple Ice Cream}

Me and my new friend have been experimenting a lot lately. I've already shared with you a couple different recipes I've tried with my mom's ice cream maker {Chocolate and Asian Coconut} but I was just getting started.
One of my recent ventures was Ginger Maple Ice Cream, a recipe I found at Mmm... is for Mommy.
I really, really like this recipe. It is so light and refreshing.
If you're feeling funky, I highly recommend giving this one a try.

So...

My dear friend, Blogger, is supposed to allow me to schedule posts.
It doesn't always come through.
Like today.

Let's try again tomorrow.
Ugh.

Saturday Special Edition

I figured I'd share a few pictures with you from the Springfield tornadoes. We,  along with many other good friends, were able to help some wonderful friends of ours who were directly hit. There are few things more beautiful than the body of Christ working together like this. We were blessed to be a part of it.

{click on photos to enlarge}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why I love UPS

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the generous hearts of my baby sister and in-laws, I am the proud owner of a 2 quart ice cream maker.

Now... what to make first?! 

So in case you haven't heard, a couple of tornadoes touched down around here last night. If you're from the middle of the U.S. this may not seem like a big deal but for us, it's HUGE! We don't usually experience any kind of rough weather let alone tornadoes!

The church we attended, up until recently, was hit directly along with a few our friends' and families' homes. Crazy!
We are less than 5 miles from where one of the tornadoes touched down. Most of our friends live directly in the path of those storms. Even though we weren't in the path of any destruction our house still shook with the constant thunder of the multiple storms that weren't far away. My younger brother was caught in traffic during the storm and filmed the tornado as it passed on his phone.
This is big news up here!

Around 8:15, last night, we were under a tornado watch at our home. We locked down the place, unplugged everything and kept our three babies accessible in case we had to make a run for the basement.
Praise the Lord, it's over! As far as we know our friends are all safe though, again, some houses were severely damaged.

Please be in prayer for all the families who lost their homes, all the businesses who lost their buildings, and all those who were physically hurt {last I heard the number of injured people was up to 100+}. Cleanup and rebuilding is going to be a lot of work and we're ready to do whatever we can to help but prayer is our first and best line of defense. 

Guess What...

{For those of you who know us well... NO! WE ARE NOT PREGNANT!}

Do you have any idea what this...

And this...

Have to do with one of these?

C'mon. Take a guess.  You know you wanna.

Have a Happy Day!