Menu Plan Monday June 30

Menu Time!

Last week I missed 2 of my meals because of just being busy so they are repeats. AND we're not really sure what we're going to be doing for the 4th so this menu may be tweaked a little bit as well after it's all said and done. Anyway! Here is what I have planned:

Chicken Quesadillas, Spanish Rice

Rotisserie Chicken Ragu (new recipe), Salad, Crusty Bread

Egg and Cheese Omelets, Toast, Fruit/Yogurt

BBQ Pork Chops, Sauteed Zucchini & Squash, Potato Salad

Crockpot BBQ Sandwiches, Leftover Potato Salad

We may not get to it all depending on what we do this week. Looking back it's a pretty simple menu.. but I'm all about simplicity these days. I'll probably put the boston butt in the freezer and just see how the weekend goes. If we're home I'll fix that on Friday morning and we'll eat on it all weekend.

I'm going to be making Applesauce Bread for breakfast/snacking. I got the recipe from Heavenly Homemakers (who happens to be the host this week for Menu Plan Monday!). We'll also have the usual snacks and breakfast on hand. Fruits on sale this week: Grapes, Berries, Cantaloupes, Peaches... and we can't go without getting some bananas for the little monkey! Cherries went up 50 cents but I may splurge some since this may be a short week. I LOVED having them last week.. and mixed with vanilla yogurt was heavenly!

Have a fantastic week!

Holy Justice

(Here is the missing post.. that once was lost and now is found!)

I just finished reading chapter seven in The Holiness Of God by RC Sproul. It took me a while to get through it for some reason. I didn't do as much reading the week before last because of VBS and my last trimester pregnancy exhaustion has also set in. Chapters 6 (Holy Justice) & 7 (War and Peace with a Holy God) have been sooo good. Seriously go here and buy it.. or wait until I'm finished and I'll let you borrow it! :)

Chapter six begins with a look at the Old Testament God (Who, by the way, is the same as the NT God!). It goes over some of the "most offensive passages" (as Sproul puts it) in the OT. The ones that stood out to me were: the story of Uzzah, who was "struck down because he had put his hand on the ark" (1 Chron. 13); the story of God destroying all of Sodom and Gomorrah, women and children, and Abraham crying out to God saying, "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?..... Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18); and the conquest of Canaan (Duet. 7).

I would love to go into each story and talk about them individually in depth because the way that Sproul describes them is just amazing. I have never looked at these stories the way he tells them in light of God's holy justice. I don't ever think that when I heard these stories I ever thought God was being unjust with the outcome.. but, I don't think that I fully understood the justice that was taking place either. Understanding that what looks like a natural reaction to saving the ark of the covenant from falling was direct disobedience to God's commands at carrying the ark. He wasn't even to look upon it, much less touch it. Sproul says this about Uzzah's act of disobedience, "An act of holy heroism? No! It was an act of arrogance, a sin of presumption. Uzzah assumed that his hand was less polluted than the earth. But it wasn't the ground or the mud that would desecrate the ark; it was the touch of man. The earth is an obedient creature. It does what God tells it to... God did not want His holy throne touched by that which was contaminated by evil, that which was in rebellion to Him, that which by its ungodly revolt had brought the whole creation to ruin and caused the ground and the sky and the waters of the sea to groan together in travail, waiting for the day of redemption. Man. It was man's touch that was forbidden." Sproul goes on to explain why man doesn't seem to understand this kind of act by God. We don't truly understand what it means to be holy. Holiness, justice, sin and grace are four biblical truths that most Christians don't really understand. In the story of Abraham in Genesis 18-19 we see that Abraham basically feared that God would act unjustly by killing innocent people. In the scripture, the implication is that God will spare the whole city if Abraham could find one righteous person, just one. What happened?? "Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace" (Genesis 19:27-28). The innocent were not punished. There were none innocent. Sproul says, "God's justice is never divorced from His righteousness".

So, is there room in the OT for grace? Yes, amazing, astonishing grace! Have you ever really looked at the OT Law? That was some serious stuff! It's amazing to just look at the numerous crimes that are punishable by death. Another quote by Sproul, "The Old Testament code represents a bending over backward of divine patience and forbearance". What was the penalty for sin from the very beginning? Death. And not just a 'one day we'll get old and die' kind of death. It was immediate death. God said to Adam and Eve in Gen. 2:17: "When you eat of it you will surely die". Is is unjust of God to give the death penalty for sin? Of course not! He created us. Even the slightest sin (if there is such, when fully understood) is a direct insult to His holiness.
If we really take a look at the OT, we see that God is immeasurably patient. The OT shows a people who are consistently rebellious towards God, yet they are freed from slavery.
We can look at the story of Canaan in Deut. 7. In verse 2 of chapter 7 God says to "..destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy". We can relate this story back to the one of Sodom and Gomorrah, none was innocent. Sproul says, "The conquest of Canaan was an explicit expression of God's righteous judgement on a wicked nation. He made that point clear to Israel. It was not as if God destroyed a wicked people for the sake of a righteous people. To the Canaanites God poured out justice. To the Jews God poured out mercy." And God made sure that the Israelites knew that it wasn't because of their righteousness that they were given mercy. In Deut. 9:4-6 it says: "Do not think in your heart, after the LORD your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you. It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people."

So, what can we make of all of this??? What does this mean to me? Well, my favorite quote from this chapter (and this is only from chapter 6... maybe I'll get to chapter 7 later!!) is: "God did not choose Israel because Israel was already holy. He chose them to make them holy."

We who have been redeemed... who have been called by God, were chosen to be set apart.. to be holy. Believe me when I say this, I don't understand it all, but I will say that I am blown away at the mercy God bestows on His children! I deserve His wrath.. and He has given me mercy. I must always remember that although I enjoy the benefits of that precious mercy and grace, I can never forget the gravity of sin. The sin that made God the Father turn His back on the precious, Holy Lamb of God.

His justice is holy... and His mercy is holy. Praise the Holy One!

Menu Plan Monday 6/23

I seriously cannot tell you how much last week was thrown off by not having a menu! It was horrible! I spent way too much money on junk and we ate out waaay too much! I am so thankful that tomorrow I will be making my routine grocery trip with a list ready!

Chicken Quesadillas, Spanish Rice

Grilled Pork Chops, Green Beans, Potato Salad

Pizza (FROZEN!!)

Baked Ziti (made w/ homemade sauce), Green Salad

The past 2 weeks have been so busy! I am so glad to get back to a 'normal' kind of week! I'm only planning 4 days this week because we're staying with my parents Friday night. My shower for Eli is at their house Saturday morning!

Breakfast: Cereal, Waffles, Scrambled/fried eggs, Fruit

Lunch: Leftovers, Sandwiches, Fruit

Snacks: Fruit, Goldfish, Raisins, Yogurt

I'm attempting to avoid all sweets this week. I had too much birthday cake and ice cream this weekend! I'm getting rid of it all tomorrow. It has to be gone or I will eat it all!!!!!

And I found my other post... it was not lost forever! So, look for it maybe sometime tomorrow.

Check out Orgjunkie.com for more menu & recipe ideas!

Oh well..... :)

I spent about 45 minutes Wednesday night writing a post. Now it's gone! I was going to try and finish it this morning since Luke is still in bed... It was one of those posts that you really have to concentrate on! Grrr... Oh well... Here are some updates on us:

Luke had his 2 year check-up Wednesday. He did pretty good until they called his name. When they called his name he sat down in the floor, refusing to walk back to the patient room. R had to pick him up! The tears immediately started flowing. So, we had to get him undressed and weighed/measured. He weighs 27 lbs and 11 oz and is 35 inches tall. He got a little more comfortable while we waited on the Dr but once Dr. C opened the door, the tears came again! Developmentally Luke is doing great! Of course, the Dr has to take my word for it.. it's not like Luke's going to bust out in the ABC's for him. Physically he's great too. I haven't checked the percentile that he's in but I know just by watching the Dr mark it on his chart that he's in the normal range. He has 16 teeth so we are still waiting for those 2 year molars to come in. That explains all of the finger chewing and drooling. We had delayed his MMR shot so I thought he would get it Wed but because I am pregnant they decided to wait. It's safe in the 3rd trimester but since I am in the beginning of the trimester (30 weeks today!!!) we just decided to wait. So when Eli has one of his many first Dr's visits, Luke gets to come with him to get a shot too! So, after all of the poking and prodding we we're ready to go. And Luke was relieved. I promised him a surprise so when we got in the car he got a fun size bag of M&M's. That made everything better.. but chocolate often does.

Yesterday R and I went to have my 4D sonogram. Eli was a little shy at first but we did get some good video of him towards the end. He had his little hands up by his face most of the time. The actual photos aren't as good to me. I think you can see more on the DVD. Technology is just amazing! The only big difference that I can see from Luke and Eli is that Eli's lips seem fuller. If I was fancy at editing photos I would try to post some here but it would take me a while to figure out how to get all my info off of them. I mean I'd rather not tell everyone my last name... you know on the whole internet. And he is now head down, which I am so thankful for! I have been praying that he would move! I really think that he did that last week when I could tell a huge difference in the way my belly was shaped! Plus, I can now feel kicks and movements lower instead of my ribs (which is great!) because his feet & hands are down by his face with his little hiney up! 10 more weeks to go! I am so excited! :)

Well, time to get busy. Luke's birthday party is tomorrow! I've got some last minute things I need to pick up at the store and lots of straightening up to do!

Have a fantastic day! :)

This morning:

I was going to go grocery shopping..

I attempted to make cookies for the workers at church.. and burnt two of the three batches... The twelve cookies that did make it weren't really that good... I should never try new recipes...

Luke somehow shut the door from the kitchen to the dining room to where I couldn't get it opened. Luckily you can go through the living room to get to the other end of the house. And get this.. R had taken out the inside parts of the door months ago so it couldn't be shut/locked. At least that's what we thought... Luke figured out that if you stick something in that little hole, you can shut the door and not get it opened at all...

I heard myself say, "Get both of your fingers out of your nose" for the first time.

Luke peed in the floor... the carpeted floor...

Those matches that we've been looking for.. I found them. I went to get something out of a cabinet and as I did the entire (huge) box of matches fell and spilled all over the kitchen floor...

So, I said forget it.

I'll go later.

I need to regroup while Luke naps!

Ready for the weekend....

Update- Aunt B's home safely! :) We're heading to spend the day with her and relax by the pool!

Well VBS is officially over for me! What a week! I had a great time but it really wore me out. I think the last trimester 'sleepies' hit me this week.... add VBS to that and I was exhausted everyday when I got home! I took a two hour nap 3 days this week! R was home today, so when Luke went down for his nap we both took a nap too. R said that I was asleep in record time (usually it's the other way around!). We still have commencement Sunday night but I will be missing it because.... my sister is flying home Sunday evening!!! YAY!! I am so excited. She made it safely to New York yesterday and has been resting and seeing all of NYC the past 2 days. My mom talked to her earlier and she was getting tickets for a Broadway show. Lucky! Please keep her in your prayers as she flies home Sunday. My parents, Luke and I will be driving to the airport to pick her up.
A little pregnancy update: I had an apt this past Tuesday with the NP (my Dr was out of town). Everything is going great. I had my glucose test, which I passed. My blood count looks great. She said I was measuring big but that's what I was told last month too. I haven't had much swelling, unless I'm up all day long. She said she would be surprised if I wasn't swelling just a little because of the heat! I'm definitely doing a lot better this time than with Luke. By this time with Luke, I couldn't even wear my wedding bands! I already had them around my neck!! I have walked 4 out of the 5 days this week (despite being very tired). Hopefully I can keep that up because I know it will help. I'm 29 weeks today. 11 to go! I'm really excited because next Thursday I go to have my 4D sonogram! Eli is still squirming around in there a lot. I know the tighter and more cramped things get that his movements will slow down some. I feel like he's changed positions some this week. I could really feel him a lot the past 2 or 3 weeks up in my ribs but the past 2 days he's been lower, almost like he's turned sideways a little. I'm hoping that since he was breech at 19 weeks that he's getting ready to turn head down in the next few weeks!
I was going to talk about some things that I've been reading but I can't find my Holiness of God (Sproul) book. I was reading outside yesterday while Luke played and R brought it in for me. I remember him telling me he brought it in but it's no where to be found. He doesn't remember where he put it. So, since it's late anyways and my brain doesn't work well unless it's been refreshed a little I'll save that for later. I've been studying those who have wrestled with God: Jacob, Job, Habakkuk to name a few. Isn't it funny (or should I say foolish) that sometimes we think we know better than a holy God? Oh, but when we are shown just a glimpse of Him, we fall to our knees in reverence and humility... but like I said, more on that later!

Help, I'm losing brain cells!!!

An extra note from a more rested Crystal: Please keep my sister in your prayers. She begins her journey home from China today! She will fly today to Beijing. After spending a night in Beijing she will fly to New York tomorrow. She's spending a few days in New York and then flying home on Sunday afternoon! Please pray for her safety as she travels!! I can't tell you how excited I am! She's been gone for 9 months!!! I even had a dream about it last night!

I want to write something clever and insightful.. really I do. I just can't at the moment. VBS is wearing me out.. and today is only Tuesday! I have some really awesome things on my mind that God has been showing me that I want to blog about. It will have to wait though... I can't keep my eyes open!

I think Eli is not only sucking nutrients but also parts of my brain. I came home from VBS and proceeded to put my roast in the crock pot. I coated it with salt & pepper and seared it on all sides. I sliced my onion. I mixed my water, Worcestershire sauce and cider vinegar together and poured it over the roast. I topped it off with sliced onion and garlic. I closed the lid and turned the knob to low. I did a few things around the house, checked my mail, etc. I walked over to the crock pot an hour and a half later to realize that it wasn't plugged in.

So, we had pizza tonight.

(My mom claims that the roast will be fine. And I did actually turn it on to cook when I realized what I had done.. and it cooked.. and it's in the fridge now because it wouldn't have been ready by supper anyway. But I'm not sure I want to eat it tomorrow. I tasted a tiny bite from the outside and it was pretty good. That kind of stuff freaks me out though.)

Seriously, please someone tell me I am not alone in things like this.

And that is another reason why I should have been in bed an hour ago.

Night!

Strange things... and MPM for June 9

Fried Egg, Cheese and Jalepeno sandwich is normal right? I thought so.

It was so good!

Seriously, I have not had many cravings. I've kind of talked before how I really think most of them are myths. I just like food and I like it with jalepenos.

I must tell you about one of my pregnancy dreams that I had. It's hilarious! I had a dream that we brought the baby home. It was a girl, oddly enough, and I know there is no way possible that this one is a girl. Little boys are pretty easy to spot.. She also had lots of curly hair! So, we brought her home late one evening and put her to bed. The next morning it was time to feed her. We hadn't fed her all night. We didn't hear a peep out of her. My response when we woke up was, 'well, I better feed her since we haven't fed her since we brought her home.'.... Like it was no big deal!!! So, R and I go to find her.. yes, I said FIND her. We could not remember what room we had laid her down in! So, we're searching every room in the house trying to find her. Well, where do we find her? Under one of our beds, just as content as can be. Again, there was no panic.. it was completely normally to find our infant child under one of our beds. So, I go to nurse her and I tell R in my dream that I hope that the feeding goes better this time than with Luke. So I start nursing and milk starts flowing like a water faucet turned on full blast! I mean I was almost drowning this child with milk! Haha.. now that is one part of the dream that there may be some truth too. I do hope that I have plenty of milk to feed this little one... but maybe not that much. So after the major milk flow I woke up. It is insane what these hormones will cause you to dream. I've had another strange one since then but I can't remember it for some reason.... I'm sure there will be plenty more the closer it gets. 11 & 1/2 weeks to go!

Ok... enough about that craziness.... Here is my menu for the week (easy because of VBS):

Monday- Boxed Chicken Veggie Lasagna (gasp).. Yep, it's been in the freezer for a while and it needs to be eaten. We start VBS tomorrow so I won't be doing my normal morning grocery run. So, we'll have an easy dinner and then head to the grocery store tomorrow evening.

Beef Pot Roast (Crock Pot ~ I'm looking at 2 recipes to try... I'll let you know which one I choose and if it turns out)), Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Beef Soft Tacos (using leftover meat), Refried Beans, Apple Grape and Walnut Salad

Crockpot BBQ Chicken, Broccoli, Corn on the cob

Loaded Baked Potatoes, Salad

Reviews from last week: The meatloaf in the crockpot was a hit. There was A LOT of fat to drain off but that's pretty normal. I just drained it about an hour before it was supposed to be finished and added the ketchup to the top. I loved that I could just throw it in at lunch and that it was done at supper time. The other plus, the crock pot doesn't heat up my kitchen like the oven does. I didn't make the other crock pot meal (the chicken one) because we had a busy day and I just made some tuna salad for that night.

Breakfast- Cereal, Oatmeal, Fruit

Lunches- Sandwiches, Leftovers, Fruit, Carrots Sticks (dressing)... I think there are a few Lean Cuisine's in there too. (we'll be snacking at VBS so lunches will be small)

Snacks- Yogurt, Raisins, Teddy Grahams, Popcorn, Fruit.. I'm trying to lay off the sweets this week so I'm staying away from the frozen dessert aisle!

I have no idea what we'll be getting for fruit besides grapes, apples and bananas. Cantaloupes are on sale so I'll get one of those if I find a good looking one. I think berries (all kinds) are one sale too.

We had a great time Friday night with the grandparents. We ended up getting a tray of chicken nuggets (from ChickFilA) and I baked some french fries, which is the recently turned 2 year old's favorite. I also got a tray of deli subs from Publix, a cookie cake & vanilla ice cream. We also had chips to go along with it and my mom made a peach cobbler. We tend to over do it in the food department for get-togethers. I would rather have too much food than not enough. We had leftovers Sat and today for lunch from the party.

Time for bed.. VBS starts tomorrow... :)

Happy 2nd Birthday Luke!

Well, it's officially my little man's 2nd birthday. I'm so afraid of writing this post because I know it is going to end in me wiping away tears (being pregnant doesn't help in the emotional area, you know!). I just cannot believe how big he is getting and how much he is learning. He amazes me every day. As far as earthly possessions, he is by far the greatest thing I have ever been given and I know I will feel the same way when Eli gets here too. It's hard to believe that just 2 years ago I was at the hospital waiting on this new little life. He came into this world on June 5, 2006 at 8:53 PM. He weighed 8 lbs and 8 oz and was 20.5 inches long. My water broke about 7:30 am when I got out of bed that morning. I had purposefully told R not to call me that morning as he left for work at 6am. I told him he would hear from me. I think he was getting a little nervous because it was getting close to my due date (June 8) so he called me often (and woke me up!). So, I sat up in bed at 7:30am to go to the bathroom, again, fully intending to go back to bed. Well... that didn't happen because when I sat up.. I felt water. When I stood up, I felt water... when I moved... I felt water. So, I called R and although he had only been at work for 30 minutes, told him it was time to come home. I was surprisingly calm getting ready and out of the house. By 9am we we're out the door and on our way to the hospital. Of course they had to check to make sure that my water did in fact break! Surely they could tell by the trail of water I left after putting on my hospital gown (sorry if there are any men reading this)! Anyway, I wasn't contracting much at all so they wanted to start me on pitocin. I was fine with that because I know that once your water breaks there is no turning back... the baby has to come out! :) I progressed normally with only one scary moment when Luke's heart rate began to drop. A rush of nurses came in the room and were flip flopping me all over the bed to help it recover. And it did. After that nerve racking moment though, I decided that I didn't want anyone besides R, my mom and my sister in the room with me. I began pushing around 7:45ish PM. I only pushed for about 45 minutes when Luke's heart rate decided to drop again. I was told that was normal during a push but his wasn't recovering well after each push, during the rest period. So, the c-section decision was made. It wasn't my ideal situation but you will do whatever possible for your child, at birth and forever! And even though things didn't go how I had planned (how silly of me to think they would!), in the end I had a healthy, beautiful baby boy! And the recovery really wasn't as bad as I expected! I had no idea how much he would change everything! I cannot imagine life without him!
I must quickly mention the fact that a lady had a seziure while driving outside the hospital & drove right into the waiting room in the women' s pavilion while I was in labor.. and who reached in and turned off the car to save the day??? My hubby! He was famous that day!



So, here are a few new things going on in Luke's world at the new age of 2:

• Just about 2 weeks ago he counted to six! Of course he hasn't done it since but I know he can. He refuses to count on demand!


• He knows his last name. I was unaware that he knew it but one morning I was spelling his first name for him and when I said "Luke" he followed it with his last name.


• He was 'cooking' for me a few days ago and was feeding me. After I 'took a bite' he asked, "Want some more?" That's the first 3 word question he's ever asked.


• He correctly identifies the color orange.


• He can be very mischievous. For instance, say I'm washing dishes and he goes to the refrigerator to get water out of the dispenser (which is not allowed) and I catch him and tell him no. He will come over to me, nudge me to turn back to the sink and tell me to 'wash dishes'. Kind of like, "Mind your own business lady I'm doing something!"


• He would live outside if we let him. He absolutely loves it. I'm dreading the humidity and heat this summer because I know Luke will want to be out in it!


• He attempts to sing the ABC's with R and I every night. It is the funniest thing ever! All of the letters run together but he just has the best time singing and bobbing his little head to the tune. I have to get it on video soon.


• He is learning to be still and bow his head while we are praying. Occasionally he'll sneak a little bite in! He once even reminded me to pray when I sat down at the table to eat lunch with him!


• His favorite things (other than being outside) are: his stuffed Mickey Mouse that he sleeps with every night; his many, many cars and trucks; Mickey's Clubhouse on Disney that we watch almost every morning after he gets up; Veggie Tales; bananas (well, pretty much all fruit); chicken nuggets and french fries; playing in general, especially when Mommy or Daddy plays with him


• His least favorite things are: going to bed; coming inside after playing; eating vegetables (besides carrots and 'dip'); Mommy brushing his teeth (he loves to do it himself, but he hasn't quite mastered it); stopping playing to do pretty much anything (I mean who has time to eat when you can play with cars all day long??)

Happy Birthday Luke! Mommy and Daddy are SO proud of the handsome little boy you have become! It's bittersweet to watch you grow up! We love watching you learn new things and grow! You are an incredible little person! Our prayer is that we can teach you to love God and that one day you know Him the way we do. Most importantly, may your life bring Him glory!

I rarely post pictures but I just want to show my little guy off. So, here are a few pictures over the past two years!

4 days old:

1 year old:

This morning after getting his new slide! The big TWO, my how you've grown!!

Twitter Twitter

I'm on Twitter.. I'm not really sure why but I am. So for all of you out there (hahahaha) who want to keep up with my exciting life even more than just reading my regular post... well you can now check in to keep up with even more.

I know you can hardly contain yourself. When you stop by you can check the Twitter spot on my sidebar to see what I'm up to.

Don't get too excited.

:)

You can follow me here or just look at the sidebar to see my most recent updates.... seriously I don't have THAT much time on my hands... but this is easy.. just a one liner of what I'm doing around the time when I'm on the computer (which is about 3 times a day to check my email... you know because I'm very important)....

Balancing Act

Before I even begin, I must say that this particular post is more for myself. So just let me talk to myself for a while! :)

I am not perfect....

Nor will I ever be.

Sometimes I try.

I want to make the bed every morning. I want to have an empty sink. I would love for my floors to always be crumb free. It would be lovely if all of my junk mail never made it's way to the basket on my kitchen counter.. I mean how hard is it to just throw that stuff away? Isn't that basket suppose to be for fruit anyway? It would also be lovely if those freshly dried towels didn't sit on the couch a few days before being put away. Ok, so maybe I let them sit in the dryer... just so they aren't on the couch. Wouldn't it be nice if that box of clothes that I've been in the process of putting away for storage would magically put itself away, instead of sitting in Luke's floor for the past week? I would love for everything in my home to be organized and always put back in it's place (or for it to actually have a place) but in reality, even if someone organized my house they would have to move in with me to keep it that way.

In honesty, the weeks that these things (you know, the cleaning and constantly putting away and what not) happen, all at the same time, I am exhausted. Literally worn out. I truly love the way it feels to have a clean house. But that feeling is just not motivation enough to make me work like crazy and be exhausted every night (pregnant or not). I just can't do it all. Like Lisa said, "cleaning house from daylight to dark is just not fun", at least not for me. I guess some people enjoy it. (To those of you who do, BLAH to you... just kidding, of course) I am not one of those people.

Now for some more honesty: If you come over to my house and I know it and I have enough time to clean like a crazy lady, you will find a spotless house. I just want to confess that my house doesn't always look that way. I don't want to appear to have it all together... because I don't. If you could see the mess that surrounds this computer you would know what I mean (and if I was brave enough I'd post a picture and show you.. but I'm not). Lisa also said, "There is much ministry in truth-telling" and I couldn't agree more. Her post motivated me to write this by the way.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not a slob, not always anyways! ;) I do try to keep the house tidy. Sometimes it just doesn't happen. I just want to be real. I know that part of my job as a wife and a mother is to make our home a safe haven and I desire for God to continue to grow me in that area. Thinking about the story of Mary and Martha though, sometimes it's just best to sit at Jesus' feet... or sit in the floor and read Luke a book. I can't tell you how many times that little sweet boy has tugged on my pants leg while I was washing dishes and asked me to read him a book. I know that I can't always drop everything for him, he needs to know that sometimes I have to do other things. As a mother though, he is my greatest priority and responsibility. In the same sense my husband needs to know that I am his biggest supporter and sometimes that may mean making sure he has clean underwear but other times that may mean just stopping what I'm doing to verbally be his encourager.

It's a balancing act... one that I'm not quite sure I'm very good at! It's a continual prayer for me.

Lord, help me to be the mother and wife You've called me to be....

Menu Plan Monday ~ June 2

Menu for this week:

Meatloaf (crockpot), Steamed Broccoli, Fried Potatoes and Onions

Chicken Spaghetti (didn't have it last week), Salad

Smoked Pork Chops, Pinto Beans, Squash, Corn Bread

Crockpot Chicken and Vegetables (from this menu at Menus4Moms.com), Corn Bread, Sauteed Apples

Breakfast: Cereal, Blueberry Muffins, Fruit

Lunch: Leftovers, Sandwiches, Chicken Nuggets, Fruit/Carrot Sticks

Snacks- Yogurt, Raisins, Fruit, Teddy Grahams, Popcorn, Hummus and Pita Chips... oh and some of these:
YUM!

We almost ran out of fruit this week. Evidently I just didn't pick up enough last week, so today I got plenty: peaches, pears, bananas, apples and blueberries.

Last week, like I said, we didn't get to the chicken spaghetti. We had the chicken salad two nights in a row (plus lunches!). I also didn't make the teriyaki drumsticks. I did cook them though. I actually cooked them in the crock pot (3 hours on high) with a little butter after marinating them in wing sauce and some spices. Then, after church, I basted them and put them under the broiler to get crispy. They turned out pretty good. R ate 3 of them so I felt like that was a good sign! The Parmesan Basil Chicken Salad was pretty good. I made it almost exactly like the recipe but I added some almonds . R liked it but said it needed something sweet, like grapes. The Basil Dill Coleslaw was ok ... different but ok. The basil didn't bother me.. I think it was the dill??

I've only got 4 meals planned this week because we are having a birthday dinner for Luke (who is turning TWO this week!!!!) Friday. I haven't planned out that meal yet but more than likely it will consist of his favorite things: chicken nuggets and french fries! I'm planning on making some cupcakes too!