Elf Mail: Days 1 and 2

Day 1

Elf Mail took off quickly in this house. My girls absolutely love getting mail, and the fact that it's from a Christmas elf is just the cherry on top of the sundae. Right after they got their first letter, Penelope was excited to send something back. She wrote a letter something like this:

Holly,

Do you live at the North Pole with Santa? Do you make toys and wrap them in paper?

-Penny.

Now, this is really interesting to me because the first letter didn't really mention the nativity story at all. The letter was a friendly introduction from Holly, and of course, a reminder to be on their best behavior. I encourage Penelope to write a letter back, so I can see what she really heard in the letter from Holly. It helps me understand how her mind is working, and how she is understanding the story. That way I can make adjustments in my Holly's writing if need be.

Day 2 

We thought we lost the first letter Holly wrote, but my husband found it this morning under the couch. I started putting them in a large orange envelope to help keep me sane. Holly replied to Penelope's letter and I realized that I was going to need to find a way to keep the letters linked together, so that Penelope didn't forget what we were talking about from the day before. So this is what the second letter said:

Penelope, 

Yes I do live at the North Pole with Santa and all the other elves! It's really cold, but we keep warm by drinking hot cocoa while we make toys. Do you know what my favorite part about Christmas is?! Celebrating the birth of our dear savior --Jesus! He was born as a baby a long, long time ago! I can't wait to tell you more, but for now I have to go feed the reindeer! Bye! 

Stay Jolly. Love,

Holly

You see, I learned real quick that I need to keep these letters simple. Penelope has a habit of sticking to one topic and repeating it no matter how hard you try to stray away. So in this case when we wrote Holly back, she told her that Jesus was also her favorite part of Christmas. The one thing she got out of this letter was that he was a baby a long time ago. If you are doing this for older kids, I think bigger chunks of the story will work in one letter. But for my girl, we're probably taking tiny, elf steps. 

Holly's letter for tomorrow will say: 

Penelope (and Vivian), 

Now what was I saying? Oh right! A long time ago (key words from the last letter) there was a lady named Mary. Mary was going to be married to a man named Joesph. Mary loved God. One day an angel, named Gabriel, came to Mary. Gabriel said "Mary do not be afraid. God loves you very much! You are going to have a baby named Jesus!" Mary was so happy, she cried happy tears! Even though Mary and Joesph were confused, they trusted God. When you are confused you can always trust and pray to God! I can't wait to tell you what happens next! Be on the look out for my next letter!

Stay Jolly. Love,

Holly 

If you need ideas on how to break your letters down, I find it's best to keep things simple. Here is a super condensed version I found on Pinterest:

You can break it into a few sentences. You can simply write out a few verses, or you can write about each character, and their importance in the nativity story. No matter how you decide to write your letters, keep them straight and to the point. Especially for kids 5 and under, only make one or two personal comments like "Brr. It sure is cold here today!" Chances are they will remember the very last sentence the clearest. So end strong.

Excited to see what unfolds tomorrow! 

Ashley  

Elf Mail: Bringing the Nativity Story to the North Pole

Sorry if my blog has seemed abandoned lately, we've been super busy this year!

               So, I was walking through my local Dollar Tree yesterday when I saw a bunch of little Christmas themed mailboxes lined on the top shelf. I thought they were adorable, so naturally I put one in my cart.

Now, let me interrupt myself in order to apologize to all retail workers out there. I've worked in retail and I know how irritating this is, but I can’t quit this awful habit: I’m a cart-filler. You know, that person who puts everything in their cart as they are walking through the store, then notices they have way too much stuff….then you see them standing in a random isle weeding through their basket, sticking things that are not of priority on a random shelf...I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. I really try not to do it.  If it makes you feel better, I have never stuck a frozen food item next to boxed mac and cheese.

Anyway, back to my story. As I was strolling through the Dollar Tree, I stumbled on some plush elves sitting on an end cap. And a light bulb went off above my head…and I was so excited about it I could have jumped through the roof. Elf on the Shelf is pretty huge. I mean, there is a BIG chance that if you have kids, you participate in Elf on the Shelf. If not, you are probably like me. And if you are like me, you could possibly want to jump through the roof over this idea, too!

My grand idea was: Elf Mail. Instead of thinking of crazy scenarios to put my little plush elf in, I was going to take a much more simple approach…tiny letters dropped off every night. These letters are written by “Christmas Elves” who love to tell the Christmas Story. You see, I rack my brain so much about how to tell the Nativity story to my kids. They are 4 and 2 and they listen like they are 4 and 2. But, whenever Santa or the North Pole is mentioned, they go flying into a room and are planted on their bottoms, all ears ready to hear what I have to say. I guess this is a natural reaction…there is just something about that magic that make kids crave it. So, as a mother I will use that to my advantage to tell these kids why we celebrate Christmas.

So this is where we introduce Holly, our $1.00 Christmas elf. (Sorry for the quality of the photo.) She is the girls newest pin pal, due to good behavior. Today was their first letter from Holly. She simply introduced herself on night one. Holly will be breaking the nativity story up into several letters, along with the history of the candy cane (complete with mini candy canes) and the importance of gift giving. I’m thinking small doodles will be some filler days to bring us all the way to Christmas Eve. Then, on Christmas Eve morning our Holly is going to drop off a package with Christmas jammies and a Christmas book inside. I’m also considering a Happy Birthday Balloon for Jesus, since my 4 year old keeps talking about it.  

What you'll need:
-1 mailbox (found at Dollar Store)
-1 elf (optional. we took a picture of the elf putting the letter into the mailbox and the kids loved it.)

-A small notepad 

-Scrapbook paper for tiny envelopes.There is a simple tutorial on how to make them: here. Just shrink the square down so it will fit inside your mail box. 

-The nativity story. My favorite children's version is in the Jesus Story Book bible. You can even find the animated story on Youtube. It's titled "He's Here" and "Light of the Whole World",,,,You can also find cute stories on Pinterest. 

all in all, the picture above was all I needed. 

Ideas to write about: 

1. Elf introductions, including names and jobs they may have. 

2. Why they are writing to the kids. My reason was a simple one liner: "I am a Christmas Elf who loves to write about, well, Christmas!"
3. The nativity story. (this is probably going to be broken down into about 5-6 at least 6 letters.)

4. Singing Angels/Christmas Carols

5. Shepherds/Candy Canes

6. Jesus' Birthday/Giving Gifts 

7. The Christmas Star

8. Three Wise Men/Receiving Gifts

9. Replies to your kids questions. Penelope wrote Holly a letter immediately after she received her first one. 

10. Fun Christmas doodles. 

You know your kids and what you want to highlight this Christmas, so be creative! If you decided to do something like this, I would love to hear your ideas as well! Merry Christmas!!! 

Here, I'll Trade You.

You know how you hear something over and over again that you understand, but it doesn't grab out at you...then one day it just completely snatches you up and overwhelms you with it's presence? ...If you have no idea what I am talking about, just imagine you are re-watching a movie from your childhood and finally understanding the subtle humor they added in to keep adults sane. 

Anyway. I've had one of those moments this week. You see if you are a lot like me...you've accepted Christ in your life a while ago, but you are just now waking up, and stepping out in your faith and really taking in what that means.
Pretty much everyone in my life knows that I grew up moving around. We usually stayed in the same state and region, just different counties. In fact, I went to four different high schools, two of them were during my senior year. I didn't mind this at all. Why? Because before we hopped house, I was bullied. A lot. And I was rejected. A lot. And rejected by people I was taught you needed in your life. And because of that, who I was was completely shattered. I didn't even realize this until about a year ago. 
When I was 16 I went to church, and accepted Jesus into my heart, truly for the first time. I then began reading the Bible and slowly (and I mean slowly) rebuilding my confidence. I picked up these tiny pieces of myself that I had lost in my childhood. And with each move we made, I took it as an opportunity to become invisible -in order to protect myself from losing those fragile pieces all over again. 
My senior year I was engulfed in God's word and prayer. I met my best friend, and now my husband who helped keep me accountable in doing just that. But, I had walked past the pieces of my past and completely ignored them. Things were still just a bit bumpy for me. I left walls in my heart for years, leaving myself open for easy offenses. At the time,  I was completely oblivious to the fact that I would have to go back and pick those pieces up eventually if I wanted to move forward in my faith and begin to do the work God has called me to do. 

And that's where I am now. I've spent more time in the past two years walking through old anxiety, hurt and repressed memories then I have ever want to. But, because of this I feel closer to the Lord than I ever felt in the beginning of my journey. I've done things that I have completely sworn off, like open up to strangers. Teach. Lead. and most importantly, let go. 

You see, Jesus died on the cross for us. He carried our sins, our burdens. (This is what I was referring to in the beginning of my blog post.) I knew this, it's like Christianity 101, right? BUT! This is what I was missing -Jesus died and took my burdens and sins with him. He left me with His yoke. He left me with His burden.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest. Yes, the teaching that I ask you to accept is easy. The yoke I give you to carry is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 

Jesus said to me, "Hey that baggage of yours looks pretty heavy. Here, I'll trade you."

Letting go of the past is easier said than done, trust me I know this. But when I accepted Christ into my life, no longer was I a victim...no longer was I rejected...no longer did I need to live my life in fear of those things, because it was never. who. I. was. and it is definitely not who I am now. I can say I am a child of the King, and I can understand what that means. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says you are made new in Christ Jesus. I feel like for the first time in my life I can say with confidence, and believe, the past is the past. And I can continue to pick up and dust off those pieces with peace of mind. 

-Ashley

Clean House.

This has been on my heart for a while now. I've felt convicted, judged and "less than" because of this one topic and one topic alone: a clean house. And here's why: my house is hardly ever clean. And what I mean by this is -when you are walking into one room, you are walking into an entirely new disaster. 

This began to weigh on me more when I became more active in my church, because I would often visit other families from church at, you guessed it, their homes! I would walk into their house and smell fresh air, see a tidy living room and a sparkling kitchen and immediately start beating myself over the head with thoughts like: "How are they doing this?" "There is NO way they can have nice furniture and three kids!" "What am I doing wrong?!"

I became so overwhelmed with these thoughts that I started to avoid meet ups at my place, simply because my house was not "as good as theirs"...And my stomach would turn in knots at the thought of random "pop-ins." Now, I have friends that I have been friends with for a long, and they know that my house doesn't sparkle on a regular basis. Neither does theirs. And we are okay with that. We take comfort in it. But the second my mother in law calls my husband and says she is going to stop by I fly off the couch and begin throwing things in inconspicuous places and blowing steam out of my ears on why our house has to be such a chore! 

Then...about a month ago I started spending time with another stay at home mom who had kids around my children's age and her husband worked full time with a heck of a commute, also. I had come over one day with my kids pumped full of energy, her kids pumped full of energy as they yelled in excitement and raced down the steps the first thing she did was apologize over the mess in her house. Again, I found comfort. We talked for a while about our dirty laundry...quite literally...and how it feels like such an impossible task to keep an entire house clean forever, or at least long periods of time. Right there in that moment I saw myself, my struggles, my anger and frustration, and my discouragement. And I realized I wasn't alone in this battle. 

So I had to set some guidelines in my mind to follow, and remind myself of them often. 

1. Stop comparing your house to others. 

I'm not talking about them having a beautiful granite counter top you might want to install in your home one day, or a paint scheme you like better than your bland white walls. Inspiration is good. I know I will always, always be redecorating my house. I love seeing other's styles and personalities come out through their homes. I talk about it often. But, when you start beating yourself up on how clean those counter tops are over yours and how there are absolutely no fingerprints on their walls and yours is starting to look like you painted it that way ...stop. There is no encouragement in comparing. 

2. Invitation vs. Surprise 

When you are invited over to someones house, they are most likely expecting your arrival. A good host will clean their house for you. Think about it, you wouldn't plan a party and then have people sit on a couch covered in laundry and wash themselves a cup out of a sink so that they could fix themselves a drink. You see, when you go over to somebodies house and start comparing their floors over yours, you are comparing a home that they cleaned knowing you were coming over.
Now, with that being said...if it was 4:30 p.m and someone called me and said they needed to swing by for a minute, you can be sure that my living room has been hit by tropical storm Vivian and hurricane Penelope. My kitchen is probably a mess because I will have started dinner (and dishes, from at least lunch, will be in the sink). I can't make any promises on what the bathroom looks like considering my 4 year old usually remembers she has to pee at the last second and doesn't always remember to flush...or put her pants back on for that matter. And you know what, this is normal. If it is not normal, you don't have kids and you don't eat in your home. Or you were blessed with the art of "cleaning as you cook," in which case -you go, girl! 

But listen, this person isn't judging you. There is a difference in a lived in home and an episode of hoarders.

3. Enjoy your company and stop stressing out

If someone pops into my untidy home I get uneasy. I start to apologize, and they ensure me it's okay. But I keep stressing myself out knowing there is a sink full of dishes. And I think this passage alone speaks for itself on this situation:

While Jesus and his followers were traveling, he went into a town, and a woman named Martha let him stay at her house. She had a sister named Mary. Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach. But her sister Martha was busy doing all the work that had to be done. Martha went in and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are getting worried and upset about too many things. Only one thing is important. Mary has made the right choice, and it will never be taken away from her.” -Luke 10:38-42

4. Enjoy your kids company 

I recently saw a picture of a triangle with each corner labeled: 1.Your Sanity 2. Happy Kids 3. Clean House. And at the top it said "Choose Two of Them"...how true is this? For me, very true...like "Can I get an 'Amen'!" true. If my kids ask me to play with them and I am caught up in picking up my living room and shooing them away, I am treating them like an inconvenience. I am a stay at home mom...playing with my kids is the best part of my day, and pretty soon I won't get to have that as an option anymore. I want to say I am the mom who will always choose playing with her kids over everyday tasks, but I'm not. I have to remind myself to be that mom. My kids need me far more than my laundry needs to be put away. The laundry will still be there when my kids are sleeping. 

5. If you are feeling in a funk, check to see if that is what you are sitting in 

I don't know how else to word this one, so my apologies! My mom always told me if I couldn't shake a sadness, or an illness, to take a shower. It's amazing how good a clean body can make you feel inside. I believe that goes for our home too. I always find myself spending the most time in the cleanest part of my house. I don't think it's a coincidence at all. It is less stressful. I used to just get out of the house if I found myself in a crumby mood about my surroundings, but you have to come back to it. You live there. So, If you are finding yourself overwhelmed, stir crazy or depressed turn on that worship music and clean! Even on days where I have to force myself to clean up, the more I straighten up the better I feel. 

Another thing I would add is always straighten up before you go to bed. It sounds like a bother, but really it is you taking care of yourself. 15 minutes of tidying. There is nothing better than waking up to a straight house. You will always thank yourself for it. 

And lastly. You are doing a great job. Don't stress, this too is a worldly thing that is not a priority in the kingdom of God. 

-Ashley

Road Rage.

We all have it. Some more than others, I think. But, I don't struggle with road rage as much as many, many people I know. And, I think I kind of...maybe...know why...
When I am driving, I often look into the other cars around me and wonder: 

Where is that person going?

I think we often forget people have lives that they live every day, just like us. They have families...jobs...appointments...(and the lucky ones,) vacations. I'm curious. I've even started the habit of praying for families when I see an Ambulance rush past me.

My husband is one who struggles with road rage, more than anyone else I have personally been in a car with (aside from my older sister.) So, together, we thought up some situations that you could easily see a person in that could hinder their best driving ability.

1. We're Having a Baby!
This is mine and my husband's go-to comment. We always know someone pregnant, so it relates. The last road we turn on to get to our house merges into one lane. Right before this lane merges, there is a stop light. Every single time we are at this stop light, there are cars in both lanes...and my husband and I grit our teeth. We know that these people know the left lane ends. We know that they are going to try to cut us off. I can usually see my husbands hands clinching the steering wheel as if it were their necks...So, when that light turns green, (when I remember) and I see them speeding past us I yell "Maybe their wife is in labor!" It usually changes the mood.
You see, I've been there. I know the panic...and so does my husband.
And if you are a man, and you just don't get it...my husband also refers to this one as "I Got to Poop!!"
Because when you got to go...

2. Just Got Fired.
On a more serious note, this one is actually pretty common. If you are the soul provider for your family...and that unexpected thing that you never saw coming hits you square between the eyes, I can't imagine what your mind is doing...thinking...praying on your way home to tell your family. My first thought wouldn't be to turn on my blinker. Just sayin'.

3. Death in Family.
Last year my mom called me at a quarter til midnight to let me know that my grandmother, her mom had passed away in her sleep. I immediately jumped out of bed and went with my mom to her mother's home. I was close to my grandmother and my mind wasn't focused on anything else but getting to her. But, at midnight you can imagine what it looks like outside...and my grandmother lived in the deep, deep woods. When you have tears in your eyes and no reflectors on the road, you will need your bright lights. We did not intentionally blind anyone, but it may have rubbed a few the wrong way. (We're sorry.)

4. Physically Ill.
One evening I decided to go to the gym. I was there for maybe 10 minutes before I felt extremely nauseous. I chalked it up to too much caffeine and too much heat. Then I got the sweats. I had. to. leave. My gym is about 15 minutes away and about 5 minutes into my drive I had to call my husband because my head was pounding so hard it hurt to keep my eyes open. But I had to get home.
Nothing like driving while you have the stomach flu!  

5. Overwhelmed Parent.
If you are a parent, you get this. The description says it all, right?
When you have one kid screaming because she was playing with a barbie in the backseat but if fell on the floor and she can't reach it...and the other one had just spilled a juice box all over their brand new shirt (you know, because they had ALSO destroyed the other one in Target earlier)...and they pulled their bows out of their hair...and they have a runny nose...and they're also crying because they can't find their pacifier. And of course they start fighting because they are both being too loud...(This doesn't seem like a personal experience at all, does it. ;))
Trust me. No music can tune that out. You're just swatting your hand around the back seat (to try to find that pacifier, or to give a good ol' fashion spanking, whatever comes in to contact first!) and praying the steering wheel isn't swaying with you as you're driving down the road.
At that point, I know, you are doing W H A T E V E R it takes to arrive to your destination, so,watch out world.

When my mind is focused on a situation of another's, rather than my own...I am slow(er) to anger.

I tried to explain it to my husband like this: When you get angry, you are yelling at cars. But, what if all of these people were on bicycles? You see that sobbing woman struggling to push through her journey...that father trying to find the words...that mom trying to get her kids home. Would you still yell at them, or would your patience get a little bit stronger, for a little bit longer? That line of traffic isn't a line of cars...it's people. People who have ups and downs, just like you.

Proverbs 14:29

And maybe you are one of those people in said situations...breathe. Pray. And know that you can rest easy in the hands of your maker. God has you right in the palms of His hands, and he's got it all planned out for you.

-Ashley
xoxo

You Matter

You matter.
These are the words that have been on my heart since Sunday. I don't feel like these words are meant for me. Maybe they are, but I get the feeling these are not just my words. So, I will say it again: You matter. 

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." -Romans 5:1-5 

It's easy to get caught up in day to day stresses. Lately I've been sitting in mine. And unfortunately, we all know where that gets you -don't we? But, everything about Romans chapter five, verses one through five tell me what I need to know.

We have been justified (made right by) faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (whom died, for us). We have access by our faith (complete trust in) to His grace, in which we stand and rejoice in the glory of God. 

In every, every, every situation we have a reason to be thankful. We have a reason to stand and rejoice. When I am focused on the stress of my world I am not focused on the bigger picture. I am not focused on the one who loves me unconditionally. I am not focused on the one who gave up everything for me.

God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
We have the ability to tap right into the source through scripture and through the Holy Spirit. We can listen to self-doubt and worldly standards...or we can focus our minds and fix our eyes to our God, the one who loves us (even on the days when we don't really love us).

You matter. 

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." -Romans 5:6-11

Listen, we're not going to always get it right. God knows that. If that was the deal breaker, the cross would have never of come into play. Jesus died for the sinners. God showed us his love when we were weak, when we were tired, and when we were broken. This means, when you are feeling weak or tired or broken, turn to your Father. God is always going to be there, and He is always going to care. Why?
Because, you matter.

Ashley

xoxo 

The Little Things

The other day I was with my family in the dinning room, listening to some children's worship songs on the computer. My husband and girls were laughing, dancing and singing to the music and I just watched them, with a full heart...and then I noticed something. My three-year old was watching her father while she was singing and dancing. John made a silly face during one tiny part of the course and she mimicked him. Then, when that part of the song came back around...she made that same face he had subconsciously made the first time. Just like that she learned a new habit from my husband. Just like that.

I know that it is normal, children pick up habits and traits from parents. But right in that moment, I realized how quickly that happens. This really makes me want to focus on what I am doing and what my kids are learning from me...but it is nearly impossible to analyze your every move...and if you do, your kids will probably learn that from you TOO! But, it has made me become more intentional about habits I do want them to learn from us. 

Opposed from focusing on how my child pretends to brush her hair, or "put make up on," I can focus on how my child spends her free or quiet time...by being intentional about how I spend my free and quiet time. This may not seem accurate to you, but it makes a lot of sense if you look at it from this perspective: My 20 month old daughter loves to talk on the phone. What 20 month old doesn't? It's what they see every adult do on a daily basis, more than once.
My 20 month old daughter also loves to pray. We have made it a habit (intentionally) to pray before each one of our meals. My three year old now leads these prayers...most of it is mumbling, but she takes pride in this part of our day. And if she prays before I get a chance to sit at the table for my meal (moms know what I am talking about, here!) she makes sure I stop and pray for my meal. And my 20 month old daughter will stop and pray both times a prayer is said at the table. She will say "amen" at the end of her gibberish prayers.

So, if you want your child to be more interested in books then television...guess what YOU should be doing? It's not enough to just read with your child, they need to see you doing it on your own will. 
And if you want your kids to stop leaving socks all over the house...guess what you need to do with your socks? (Okay, that one may be for my husband, ha ha.) 

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not stray from it. -Proverbs 22:6  

--Ashley

Fast: Complete!

So, before I start I want to apologize for the late and lacking post!!! I recently came down with the flu, and it was horrible. I pretty much abandoned my husband with no food, no sleep, and two children. Our house looked like a host home for a frat party. My kids lived in their pajamas, and my husband lived off of apples. Literally. I technically broke my fast earlier this week. I had a tough decision to make: Start putting electrolytes back into my body with fluids OR dehydrate myself and end up in the hospital. Gatorade is cheaper than the emergency room. It's all about choosing your battles. I'm very sad I missed our night of worship, but it was such a sweet reward for my husband. 

Looking past our bumpy ending, this fast was life changing for us. My husband and I both lost weight. He lost about 9 or 10 lbs and I lost 17 lbs. What an eye opener! We invited new foods into our home, and learned about them. We have added to our recipes and will enjoy them all year! We pushed our limits to a new high! 

We spent more time with God. To completely rely on Jesus Christ to lift you can carry you through this process is difficult, but more rewarding than anything I can put into words. I believe He has grounded us and pointed our focus into one direction. "Be still and know I am God." (Psalm 46:10) This was an important passage to me during this fast. Calming myself down and listening to what the Lord has to say is always going to be something I have to do diligently. My mind is like a speeding car, bobbing in and out of lanes. (And, we all know what can happen to those cars!) That is why I need to slow down. Be still. 

 7 So give yourselves to God. Stand against the devil, and he will run away from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. You are sinners, so clean sin out of your lives. You are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Make your thinking pure. 9 Be sad, be sorry, and cry! Change your laughter into crying. Change your joy into sadness. 10 Be humble before the Lord, and he will make you great. -James Chapter 4

I cannot wait to grow even closer to the Lord this year. I cannot wait for my husband to, also. There is no limit for our relationship with God. And I am excited to see where He leads us. 

--Ashley

Fast: Take 4

Never in my life has a store brand, frozen pizza looked so appetizing. 

My girls have been asking me for pizza for a while now, and I decided I would grab a cheap frozen one. Since they are only toddlers, I got the pizza thinking it would be quick and I could be done with it. The smell was so overwhelming. At one point I think I was tempted to just lick my child's face. Cheese is just something I love in general. Isn't it funny how we covet what we cannot have? It doesn't even have to be food related...it's just human nature I guess. During this fast my family has not gone hungry. I've struggled with coming up with new ideas and ways to change up the same 6 ingredients in my pantry, but we have always had food. Plus, I've improved in the kitchen overall, I would say. 

But, the second temptation was brought into this house: I started numbering the days left in the fast. Thinking about all the things I couldn't have. Wondering what in the world I was going to do until the end of the week. And none of it was helping me. I pulled my eye away from the real prize. The prize isn't the $20.00 Starbucks gift card I have in my wallet (that I am dying to use), or the fancy dinner we planned with friends. The prize is moving closer to God. Developing that deep, meaningful relationship with my God--that is the prize! 

Days: 10, 11, 12
You have to forgive me, I wasn't logging our meals like before so I have no idea what day was what. This past week we were very active. It feels like we were always out somewhere, doing something. I do know I had a play date with a wonderful friend, who is also doing the Daniel Fast and she made a super tasty lunch. It was a tomato and white bean salad. Super easy to make. You can find the recipe here. Also, I found out we could have Chipotle on the Daniel Fast. This is one of my husband's favorite places to eat. They even have a tofu option--which is delicious!! So, yes please...we went there IMMEDIATELY. The rest of our week was filled with potatoes, smoothies and apples. My husband seriously ate 5 apples the other day. He also made a cheesy joke about doctors while eating said apples.

Day 13
I made a bean and potato chili. It turned out super tasty. I am probably going to post a "recipe" within the next couple of days. We ate the chili with baked tortilla chips. You can make them yourself, or find them in the store. (Just read the ingredients carefully!) Later that night we went to my in-laws house. They are not doing the Daniel Fast...but my mother-in-law is a wonderful cook and made us a tasty DF approved meal (veggie fried brown rice). I sat there and watched her search her cabinets for anything we could have that fit into our diet. She has such a big heart, and I am so thankful they took our fasting seriously and we're so encouraging. We did not go hungry!   

I am truly praising the Lord through this fast. I am blessed with such a wonderful, encouraging church. I know I am going to come out of this fast feeling stronger and closer to the Lord, because I wouldn't have gotten this far without His love. 

You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one runner gets the prize. So run like that. Run to win! All who compete in the games use strict training. They do this so that they can win a prize—one that doesn't last. But our prize is one that will last forever. So I run like someone who has a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something, not just the air. It is my own body I fight to make it do what I want. I do this so that I won’t miss getting the prize myself after telling others about it.
-1 Corinthians 9:24-27

--Ashley

Daniel Fast: Peanut Tofu Noodle Stir Fry

Ingredients: 

-2 pkg pf Tofu Shirataki Noodles (bought at Wegman's)

-Fresh Veggies (I used red, yellow, orange bell peppers, mushrooms, and bean sprouts)

-2 garlic cloves, chopped

-1 1/2 tbs of all natural peanut butter 

-2 tbs low sodium soy sauce

-1 tbs olive oil   

-1 tsp honey 

-1 tsp sesame seeds

-2 tbs water 

-Salt to taste  

I found these in the store today and decided to try them. They are made with tofu and Yam flour. The entire package is only 20 calories, uh yes please! These noodles are definitely an Asian style noodle, best cooked with Asian flavors, probably best in soups. Not bad, though!

Peanut Sauce:
Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, olive oil, honey, and sesame seeds in a bowl and whisk together.

Veggies:
In a deep pan or wok, on medium heat, put in your veggies and garlic and cover with a lid. While veggies are cooking prep your noodles.

Noodles:
Put a pot of water on the stove top to boil. Open package of noodles and dump into a strainer (in sink). Rinse noodles in cold water for 2-3 minutes. (This is to remove the liquid it was sitting in, and the slight odor that comes with it.) Next, boil your noodles for 2-3 minutes. Drain the noodles and pat dry with a paper towel.


Combine noodles, peanut sauce and water in with the vegetables. Stir well and cover. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until well blended. It's important to add the water and cover because the natural peanut butter WILL grit up if you do not.

Hopefully you like it!

Fast: Take 3

So, for the past couple of days my husband and I have been eating leftovers and trying to stay focused in the word. If you saw my last post, that was the dinner we had on Saturday night (day 6)...it was my biggest success yet. I reached outside of my comfort zone and decided I was going to tackle something new. While I was cooking, I looked around my kitchen for a good 10 minutes, trying to think of back up plans we could have. Luckily, we didn't need it.
I honestly couldn't tell you what we had on Sunday. I know I ate a lot of trail mix. My husband probably ate a lot of apples. I wasn't feeling so hot after church. I was even in bed by 9 p.m. 

Monday: Day 8

I decided I'm going to spare you to story of all of my repeat meals. We're probably sticking to oatmeal and smoothies from here on out when it comes to breakfast. After the Daniel Fast we will be introducing eggs back into our routine, and the occasional bowl of cereal...but oatmeal and smoothies seem to be working for us! So, like a good song on the radio, we're going to use it until we drive it into the ground. 

Lunch was great! I was so pleased with how it turned out, and here's why:
I have had a head of cabbage in my refrigerator for almost a week now, and I knew I needed to do something with it before it went bad. The only problem is, I've never made cabbage before. I've eaten it...I've just never made it. Not to mention, a friend of mine gave me ANOTHER head of cabbage...So here I am with all this cabbage.

 I googled the simplest way I could prepare it and came across this recipe. It was amazing. The easiest thing I've made so far, when it comes to meals, and one of the tastiest! I will probably end up doing the same thing with the other cabbage. I highly suggest this recipe if you like the taste of cabbage (not even LOVE the taste of cabbage, just like it.) 

Tuesday: Day 9

I'm not going to lie, I felt a tiny,tiny wave of anxiety when I typed the number 9 just now...only for the fact that I'm running out of ideas, given the food in my pantry. And, if your household is anything like mine, you know I'm working with just that until Friday.
My husband has expressed to me, more than once, that he never wants to see another bean again. I can't really blame him...and, seriously, we had plenty of starch and lentils this first week. I made vegetable soup for lunch...and there is so much of that leftover, guess what we're having tomorrow for lunch? (And maybe dinner...) This soup basically contains: One can of crushed tomatoes. A can and a half of water. Some olive oil. And every vegetable I could find in my house. Salt and pepper. Not bad. 

If we died with him,

    we will also live with him. 

If we remain faithful even in suffering,

    we will also rule with him.

If we refuse to say we know him,

    he will refuse to say he knows us.

 

If we are not faithful,

    he will still be faithful,

    because he cannot be false to himself.

 Do your best to be the kind of person God will accept, and give yourself to him. Be a worker who has no reason to be ashamed of his work, one who applies the true teaching in the right way.

2 Timothy 2:11,12,13,15

This weekend I received a lot of information from the Holy Spirit, about myself. I know that I need to remain faithful to Him through this fast and wait patiently for His guidance. For years I've listened to the voices of others, and I end up pushing His words out of my head. But, I'm not going to do that anymore. Because, whenever I choose someone else's words over God's it pulls me away from Him. So I will fix my eyes on Him and seek His loving encouragement.
I've heard this song a thousand times, but the lyrics really grabbed a hold of my heart strings today. It's funny how He does that, isn't it? 

What God says about you will always outweigh what anyone else says about you. 

--Ashley

Daniel Fast: Tofu, Mushrooms and Asparagus Over Brown Rice

This Saturday some friends came over for dinner. They are also participating in the Daniel Fast. So, we thought we would get creative. And, viola! A beautiful, delicious meal was shared between the four of us! I'm going to do my best to give you instruction on how I made it, for those who were curious. Bare with me, most of this is from memory, and I am not a chef!

Korean Marinated Tofu with Sauteed Asparagus and Mushrooms Over Brown Rice

First off, you need to prepare your tofu early on in the day. You need to dry your tofu on a towel for about an hour, and then remove excess water by "dry-frying" the tofu in a hot pan. Here is the tutorial I followed:

Tofu:

While my tofu was drying I made the marinade. Here are the ingredients I used: 

5 Tbs. Low-Sodium Soy sauce
2-3 Tbs. Honey
1 Tsp. Sesame seeds
1 Tsp. Red pepper flakes
2 Garlic cloves
One Green Onion
Pinch of black pepper

1.) Chop garlic cloves and green and white parts of the green onion. Put all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
2.) Prepare tofu as tutorial states. After tofu cools down, put in a Ziplock freezer bag and pour in marinade. Put tofu in refrigerator until ready to use.
3.) Once ready to use, heat skillet on med-high heat. Dump tofu and marinade in the pan and cook until hot (and most liquid is gone), flipping sides occasionally.

Asparagus and Mushrooms:
 16 oz. Fresh Asparagus
1 Pkg. Fresh Mushrooms (I used wild blend)
1 Garlic Clove
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Lemon juice
Sea salt (season to taste)

1.) Clean your asparagus and mushrooms place in strainer (to remove any excess water.)
2.) Heat your skillet on medium heat. Add in your olive oil and your garlic.
3.) Once garlic turns golden brown, add your fresh veggies and lemon juice. Reduce heat and cover the pan with a lid for about 10 minutes? Stir occasionally.
4.) Remove from heat and add your sea salt!

Rice:
Instructions here.
Don't over cook it, or it will look (and taste) a lot like oatmeal! Trust me...

Finally, make your plate look pretty and take a picture!!! (Or just eat it.)

 

Fast: Take 2

22 The only source of light for the body is the eye. If you look at people and want to help them, you will be full of light. 23 But if you look at people in a selfish way, you will be full of darkness. And if the only light you have is really darkness, you have the worst kind of darkness. -Matthew 6

With the first week of this fast coming to an end, I can honestly say that I am ready to continue on to week two. I've struggled with a lot of things these past couple of days. Mainly, preparation. I wholeheartedly believe that organization is a skill that people are blessed with. I've spent the past five years of my life trying to become a super organizer and planner. I am horrible at it. I lose everything. "She would probably lose her head if it wasn't attached to her body." Yeah, that saying was probably created by someone a lot like I am. I am always (jokingly) preparing my husband for the moment I am diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Anyway, I bring this up because the rest of my week consisted of last minute throw together meals and buying my children fast food. 

Wednesday: Day 3
For breakfast I made whole wheat pancakes. These turned out very delicious. I can't even take credit for it, I got the recipe here. I only substituted a couple of things. 1. I replaced applesauce with apple juice (because I didn't have applesauce on hand.) 2. I didn't add the nuts, and I didn't put the blueberries IN the pancakes. The batter ended up a lot easier to spread out, this way. In a seperate pot I thought I would get a little creative and make a "blueberry syrup" using organic frozen blueberries and honey...and what the heck! a little more apple juice. Standing there feeling like Juila Child, flipping my hotcakes and stirring my syrup, I made sure to thank God for what was happening. And, even though my syrup wasn't a syrup, but a sauce, it got the job done. I can't wait to make them again!
Lunchtime rolled around and I had decided that we were going to have peanut butter and fruit "pinwheels". They usually look something like the picture above. But, being on the fast I had to use my all natural ingredients. I tried making my Chapati a couple of times now...and it just isn't working out. It always ends up as a dough with the same consistency as the paste they used to give us in kindergarten. (You know, the one in the jar with the paintbrush that was always clumpy and had a smell that stayed in your nose the entire day?) But, I decided I would try and use it anyway and just sprinkle dry flour on it as I tried to roll it out. Sprinkle. Sprinkle. Sprinkle. . .sprinkle. . . .sprinkle. . .Half a bag of flour later I had my flat breads. My extremely dense flat breads. (I quit. I will be driving my happy self to Wegman's this weekend to get my all natural, pre-made bread.) The heavy bread would have been fine if I didn't buy the peanut butter that I did. On this jar of peanut butter the ingredients are as followed: peanuts. When I saw this in the store I almost literally jumped up and down with excitement. I had been staring at peanut butter for like 20 minutes. I even did one of those "I'll come back to it, later." deals. What they forgot to say on this jar was: "Caution, this peanut butter is equivalent to edible cement." Don't get me wrong, it's delicious. But that combination was lethal. My husband couldn't even finish it. It sat like a rock in my stomach for the rest of the day.
Dinner was a huge turn around for us, I made baked sweet potatoes with a black bean and corn salad. I will make this again, even after the fast. Good way to end a day.

Thursday: Day 4

Breakfast we had strawberry and cream oatmeal. I made this with oats, liquid mainly soymilk, a little bit of apple juice and a little bit of water and some strawberries diced up. Oatmeal is easy in this house, for everyone but my husband.
After breakfast we had decided to go out to run some errands, completely unprepared. Lunchtime crept up on us and all of our tummies were rumbling. I hurried through the grocery store and had to end up going to a drive-thru to hush up my kids. Luckily I made split pea soup in the crocpot, so John and I had something to scarf down when we got home. That recipe is amazing, I only added carrots to it (mistakenly, I was reading to recipes at once.) You can find it here. I will definitely make this again.
Dinnertime was quickly approaching and I had nothing to make for dinner. I didn't plan anything. My mom called and I sweet talked her into letting me come over, since she is also doing the fast. My mother has always been good at throwing stuff together and it turning out. And, as I watched her cooking our mushrooms and stirring her tomato sauce, I got a little envious. But, I was quickly reminded of the verse I read earlier that day, Matthew 6:22 & 23. I could do two things in that moment: sit there and be jealous of a natural skill she was blessed with or help her prepare our meal in the skills I am blessed with. So, I showed my mom how to microwave a spaghetti squash. Later, I showed her a tutorial online on how to roast spaghetti squash and I introduced her to the wonderful world of Pinterest. (You're welcome.) But most of all, I enjoyed my evening, my meal, and my company. I am so proud of my mother for going through this fast on her own (at home). It's very easy to get discouraged, but I'm not even choosing to glance down that road right now, and I know she isn't either. 

So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? 27 You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it. -Matthew 6

So, I'm not going to worry about it.
And you know what? 
Today I was blessed this morning with extra sleep. Thank you, husband.
A recipe I half remembered, half made up (which turned out amazing). Thank you, Nadir.
And enough of that recipe, I can eat it for lunch and dinner tonight. That means no stress planning my meals this evening. I'll take it.

--Ashley