Prayer Boxes: An Easy Way to Pray for...Everything!

Do you ever feel like the list of prayer needs grows by the week...and maybe the day? I know that so often the "big" pressing things get the prayer time, and many other things just fall by the wayside or else get rattled off in a rapid-fire list as time constraints dictate. We have found a great solution for just such a problem!


I'm not sure where I read this idea, but I thought it was great! We have Prayer Boxes (I think the original idea was Prayer Jars). We made small cards with prayer needs written on them. I mean everything we could think of: neighbors, family members, our church, our school, our country, our soldiers, the persecuted church, missionaries...you name it. We wrote them down on some card stock (sturdy enough to be used repeatedly) and cut them out.


Then we put them in a small recipe box and wrote "Prayer Needs" on top. We labeled another box "Prayed For." Each day, we pass the box around and each person takes out two cards (pick a number that works for you), then we all have a quiet time of prayer. When we are finished, the cards go to the "Prayed For" box.


When the "Prayer Needs" box is empty, we start over! This way, everything gets prayed for on a fairly regular basis, and we don't have to feel overwhelmed-- or as if we are dropping the ball. Of course, as new needs arise, we put them in the box and add to the cards. 


Besides effectively praying for so many needs, the kids really enjoy the element of surprise each day. Something about pulling the unknown out of a box...that "ta-da" effect! They like that. And they like sharing with each other who or what they are praying about. 


And, certainly, there are many needs that we know cannot wait for prayer...and we pray for them all the time! 

Ridiculously Delicious and Easy Peanut Butter Cookies (that also happen to be Gluten free!)

Here's a recipe with three whole ingredients! Share it with your kids and they may just keep you in a steady supply of delicious peanut butter cookies.


Two cups of your favorite peanut butter (regular or crunchy)
2 eggs, beaten
2 C sugar (I only use 1 1/2 and it is PLENTY sweet. But I like that the recipe calls for everything in 2's. Like Noah.)


Preheat oven to 350. Mix dough well with beaters. Of course, you may add in chocolate chips if you so desire, which we do occasionally. Or a Hershey Kiss on top! Roll the dough into ping-pong size balls with your hands. Place on cookie sheet and mash down with fork (the official stamp of authenticity for peanut butter cookies!).  Or squish it down with that Hershey Kiss idea. It's all good.


Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Scarf 'em down.

When the Severe Pain Ebbs

Sunday School. Just down from my husband and me sits another couple that I see every week, yet haven’t had an opportunity to get to know. A “hello”, a nod, a smile. 

Their son is a friend of my daughter’s in youth group. She isn’t in Sunday school with him today, she stayed the night with a friend and is visiting another church. 

Sunday School is over, we all file into the sanctuary and worship together. Our family, this other family. Many families. Many that I know. Many more that I do not. 

Fast forward about 30 hours to Monday night.

Last night.

We all file into the sanctuary to worship together. Again. Our family. This other family. Many families. Suddenly we are all family.

But, the family from Sunday School is minus One. The one in youth group with my daughter.

So many tears. So many broken hearts. So many questions. So much pain. 

Yet...So much rejoicing. So much faith. And hope. So much victory in the midst of loss. Prayers unite. Strength surrounding, scripture declaring, songs lifting our eyes from ourselves and our anguish to Christ who has vanquished. 

Even so, I cannot keep my mind in the moment. My storytelling brain takes over. The writer in me goes into third person and I find myself observing glimpses of the future that will bring back the pain, fresh and ferocious. 

I do not know these parents. But, I am a parent. I am a mother. I know the heart of a mother. 

The agony that sears and tears with intensity right now will mellow. Who could survive such heartache if it did not? God has sent the Comforter. This mother, this father, and sister...they will be comforted. They will come to a place of acceptance and a place of motion, where the world goes on and they move forward with it once again. 

A place where the severe pain has ebbed. Replaced by the sweet ache of missing someone you love beyond measure.

But I see the unexpected stabs of pain that loom in the near and distant future. Hiding behind the little things that will catch this mother, and the others, by surprise. Little things that will feel like big things, making them catch their breath. The questions, the “what ifs”, the “remember whens”. These thoughts, these pictures, these stories are what choke me with tears, what makes me pray for this family more. 

A long vigil over time seems like a good idea. Remembering to pray for this family is a marathon and not a sprint. To pray that Christ would carry, would comfort, would heal even as each memory wields a clever strategy to bring heartache. Opportunities for bitterness and anger will spark, hoping to find purchase, hoping to steal joy. We must--- I must--ask God to keep bringing this family to my thoughts so I can bring them to Him in prayer.

I think we all kind of hope, maybe even expect, that a real-life crisis will occur like it does in the movies. Foreshadowing takes place in scripts. Not in life. It would be so handy to have a string of events to look back on and see how it was all leading up to this...as if the person knew it was going to happen.

I bet this young man left his room a little messy. He plopped some books on his half-made bed, left his shoes laying around, needed to empty the trash. His room seems to be expecting him back at any moment.

There is school work left incomplete. What was he going to write about for his assignment in Literature? Was he finally getting the hang of quadratic equations? And, oh, look at that lousy handwriting! No wonder he wanted to do everything on the computer...

His basketball schedule is still on the calendar. He was looking forward to the tournament at the end of the year. His favorite movie was going to be released next week; he and some friends already planned their weekend around it. 

Mail will come addressed to him. So presumptuous.  

Do the couch cushions hold some treasure from his pockets to be unearthed at a later date? A crumbled up scrap of paper that he scribbled on or folded around a wad of gum.  Like a time capsule. That will be a precious find! Precious but painful.

Notes in his Bible. Notes on his desk. Reminders to himself become reminders of him.

A glimpse in a crowd, when-- for the moment-- it will seem natural that he is there. A case of mistaken identity that leaves the family member yearning...

These stories play in my mind when I contemplate their loss. Each of my children become this young man. Though I cannot imagine their depth of pain...in some small way I can. We all can.

I wish I could make it all better. Wish I could make that pain go away. Wish I could bring back their young man. Wish I could at least arrange a proper “good-bye”.

Yet, I remind myself of the promises of God. I embrace His sovereignty. I believe he is gracious and loving and good all of the time. And so does this family. It is very evident in their life. 

It is right to encourage them with scripture and hugs and tears and prayers. I believe all of that will help to heal. It must be done. It is being done. 

I just know the unexpected moments and memories are destined to come and I wanted to tell them that it is ok. Those times will be like a brief, sweet connection that can be savored. Like a quick visit. 

It will hurt. It may make them wonder if it will ever hurt less. I don’t know for sure. I just felt like I had to put into words what many of us already have had floating through our minds. We chastise those kind of thoughts. Won’t allow ourselves to “go there”. Such pondering doesn’t seem very spiritual. 

But it is very human. 

Sometimes these bodies of flesh and emotion demand attention. Demand to be recognized. Must be allowed an outlet. Not an excuse to sin. Not a reason to be bitter. Just permission to feel and to hurt and to swell up and gush over in tears. We are wired to find relief in releasing our emotions. Jesus allowed himself to deeply love and openly hurt. Jesus wept.

It must be ok. 

It is ok.

I pray God will remind us all to keep carrying the burdens of those that mourn as life resumes and the severe pain ebbs.

Be Careful What You Wish For!

Even grown-ups love a Cinderella story. Masquerade by Nancy Moser escorts our inner- princess into the late 1800’s where high society flourishes and the lower class barely survives. And never the twain shall meet. Nor would it be proper for them to associate.

Lottie Gleason is born into the British upper-crust and has been comfortably insulated from the likes of problems with politics, business and even struggles within her own home. She gets a crash course in Adulthood 101 on her 19th birthday when she discovers her family is being shunned thanks to some indiscretions by her father. Before her ship can totally sink, Lottie is forced to accept a marriage proposal from a wealthy American who hasn’t caught wind of the tarnished Gleason name “across the pond” in New York. Lottie doesn’t want to marry this stranger and Lottie is used to getting her way.

Dora Connors is Lottie Gleason’s maid. She has lived on the streets and experienced life in the gutter. Since the age of 13, however, she has been attendant and confidant to Lottie. They are very close, yet they both know their place. Dora is to accompany Lottie on her voyage to America, where she will start a new life as well.

Somewhere across the expanse of the Atlantic, a plan forms in Lottie’s mind. A plan to escape the restraints and expectations of her family and chase her own dreams. Dora can be Lottie Gleason, Dora can marry this strange man, and Dora will be glad to do it because it is a chance to better her life beyond her wildest dreams.

And so each girl assumes a new identity and they both live happily ever after. 

Yeah, right. While Dora steps into New York society with only the occasional stumble, Lottie falls flat and hard and finds herself seeing how ‘the other half” live. More than seeing, she is experiencing it first hand. 

Both girls find that “a man makes his plans but the Lord orders his steps” as they discover their masquerade is not the neat little package they had hoped. The character issues that are addressed and the relational honesty that is necessary for love and friendship to flourish are learned in the fire of the streets--and the mansions--of New York. 

Masquerade is a cinderella story. One of the best kind. No fairy godmothers here. Rather, the God of the universe helping two girls find their purpose, their love, their friendship and their true identity.

***In exchange for my honest review, Bethany House Publishers supplied this book to me free of charge.

The Implications of Marriage

“Why is the marriage relationship more important than any other relationship?” 

This question was posed by a dear friend when we were having a little heart to heart about the state of various things in her life. Valid question, yes. But one that took me by surprise as it seemed obvious to me. Since I think better through my fingertips, rather than in a spur of the moment conversation, this little (make that long!) blog post is my attempt at an answer to my friend’s question. 

I don’t believe this person held marriage in a low-priority position by any means. In fact, I know she knows it is “numero uno”. Yet, she was in the midst of a heart wrenching relationship with one of her children and that was eclipsing all else. She was doing what each of us tend to do: Give the squeaky wheel the grease. 

It is much easier for me to sit on the sidelines and cheer little scripture-like cheers to my friends when I am not the one going through the fire. But, I do think it is essential to rehearse what is true when things are going swimmingly, so that when a flood threatens to overwhelm us, we can cling to what we KNOW. Peace and joy may look precarious in the face of a tsunami, but Truth will remain our lifeline. 

I think we live in an age that devalues marriage and belittles men to such an extent that even churches tend to try and feminize our guys and God Himself. Too many touchy-feely expectations that often rely on experience and psycho-babble, rather than the counsel of scripture. 

With that understood, I’ll go ahead and state that I do believe in submission to ones own husband (as scripture states in Ephesians 5:22...implying women can be awed and influenced more heavily by some other man...even a pastor). Submission does NOT imply inequality; merely the chain of command that makes things flow rather than grate. Frankly, I like it that way. There is freedom in submission...if bad decisions are wrought by my husband, it is between him and God (not to say it doesn’t have an effect on other people, myself included). I don’t want to be an Eve and have my hubby say (like Adam), “that woman you gave me wore me down until I would agree to do this...”. I prefer to keep my hands off. It helps that my husband can smell manipulation a mile away; it would be a total waste of time to try.

So, the above explanation tells of the structure of a healthy marriage (not my opinion here, either. Scripture will back me up on all of that submission stuff). But WHY is marriage so important? Why is it THE relationship that must be cherished and nurtured at all costs, especially when things get really awful in other areas of life? Why can’t we afford to just coexist for awhile, coast along and hope things will get better (when he sees what a jerk he’s been...)? Why can’t I spew all over my mate and expect them to just get over it and move on? We’re both adults, right? They know I love them.

Let’s look first at the origin of marriage. This is an obvious one, I know. Still...restating truth helps to reinforce its application in our life so it bares repeating. The first marriage was ordained and orchestrated by the Creator of the universe in Paradise. Adam and Eve were part of the ultimate blind date match up. Those two were literally made for each other!

The animals were not a suitable companion for Adam, only a woman would do! God could have just made a bunch of people that were an instant little “Village of Eden”. He could have commanded all the independent people to “be friendly and fellowship.” Instead he made one of each gender and then gave them the command to have sex...and he made that something special and symbolic as well. “Be fruitful and multiply,” he said. Oh, and it’s really fun to practice the “being fruitful” part...and the little ones that result will be one of the best things to ever happen to you! 

Even the actual act of consummating a marriage has sacred and symbolic significance. A true covenant relationship is one that is sealed in blood (the blood of animals in the Old Testament, the Blood of Christ in the New Testament). When a virgin has relations for the first time (presumably after marriage), blood is spilt; a seal of the covenant made between the bride and groom. What a beautiful picture--with deep implications-- that most do not fathom!

Scripture goes on to extol the virtue of marriage, to show it as a relationship set apart, as a Holy Covenant that should only be broken by death itself. The intimacy of the marriage bed is used as a term for the way God intimately knows each of us. Song of Solomon is a whole book devoted to the love relationship between marriage partners. Marriage is an ongoing example of unity and intimacy throughout scripture.

Still, there is something more, something that causes marriage to have no equal among relationships between people. If this were to be the only mention of marriage in the Bible, it would be enough to propel it to “numero uno”: Marriage is a reflection and representation of the union of Christ and His church.

Our heavenly Father uses the picture of marriage, the verbiage of marriage, and the sanctity of marriage to show the relationship that the Bride of Christ (the church) has with the Bridegroom (Christ). (See Matthew 25, Ephesians 5, 2 Corinthians 11, and Revelation 21 to name a few). God did not use a picture of teacher and student, or a picture of priest and congregation, but the intimate, loving, stick-with-you-through-thick-and-thin commitment that has two people becoming one in Holy Matrimony. In fact, just look at that term: “Holy Matrimony”...do you recall the relationship between parents and children being termed “holy”, or any other relationship for that matter? On the contrary, Jesus says that for his sake, those relationships may be violently torn apart (see Matt. 10:35).

Truly, being one in the covenant of marriage is a beautiful likeness of what Christ has done to reconcile us to himself through his sacrifice on the cross; collectively as a church, and individually as well (see Eph. 5 for how the husband and wife submit and give all to each other just has Christ has done for us). He is coming for a pure and spotless bride, without blemish or wrinkle. He promises to tenderly care for us, protect us and provide for us. He is preparing a feast and celebration for us when we are with him in eternity. Marriage. Marriage. Marriage. It is a thread woven throughout the Bible; a heartbeat of a passionate and loving God.

Now that we have established the high calling of marriage, what do we do with this information? Tuck it away as an interesting thought to ponder? Make a note in our Bible’s margin? Nope. I say it ought to be of the utmost priority to make our marriages the best possible union; effort given to building a strong foundation, adding to that using the Fruits of the Spirit on a daily basis. 

It is a shameful fact that the divorce rate is as high in the church as it is in the world. It should never, ever be so. Our marriage is part of our testimony to the world, it exists to reflect the glory of God and give glory to God. What message is the world getting from us about this holy union? One that says it IS NOT holy, it is merely a matter of taste and convenience. Like a mortgage on a house; it is not something to be taken lightly, but--if times get tough--you can always sell it and move on.

One last bit of food for thought... What if the bride of Christ spent it’s energy trying to change who Christ is? What if we decided to tweak the attributes of Jesus or redefine what it means to be a Christian? Well, that wouldn’t fly, would it? A peek at the churches of Revelation shows how God wants to spew the unfit from his presence and discipline those that are disobedient. We would be defaming the name of Christ if we acted like that. 

What if the church went around bad mouthing Christ to the world? “Yeah, Jesus rarely answers any of my prayers, he’s so selfish and lazy.” Or, “I would be a better Christian if Jesus would just ____(fill in the blank).” Or, “I don’t know who that Jesus thinks he is, expecting me to do this and that.” Yikes! Such speech is unimaginable from a true follower of Christ.

Yet how often do we whine and complain about what we perceive to be wrongs in our relationship to our spouse? Are we guilty of bad mouthing them to others? Are we approaching marriage the world's way, or our own way, instead of God’s? Do we distance our mate and our marriage in our words or our actions, either to their face or to others? Are we tearing down instead of building up? Manipulating and pouting, being bitter and scornful, instead of serving and showing respect with a heart of gratitude? What about shutting ourselves off in cold indifference? 

I believe that our relationship with the Lord is directly connected to how we relate to our spouse. We cannot be a grumpy, judgmental, discontent, whiney-butt with our husband (or wife) and expect to pursue an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father. That holds true even in a marriage with an unbeliever. The scriptures give guidelines for everything, including that! Not to say such a union would be a cake walk, but it still can bring glory to God as the saved spouse relates to the other in a Christ-like way. 

Ephesians gives very specific directives on how we should treat each other in marriage and those standards are not earned by the other person’s behavior. They are what God expects of us as believers in obedience to His word. We cannot control what the other person does, we can only control ourselves, our choices and our reactions. And those things should be under the control of the Holy Spirit or they will only be wood, hay and stubble (aka, works of the flesh).

I know this post may come across as overly simplistic, and very black and white...

I realize that different situations may NOT be simple, but the bible reads gloriously black and white so that we can take those convoluted messes we make and find answers and hope without going crazy. The answers are there if we will take the time to look. They are not old-fashioned and out-dated. They are the tried and true remedies from the mouth of the One who created marriage! Why doesn’t that fact make a difference in Christian matrimony? It seems we often balk at how simple God’s approach is, deciding it really doesn’t apply to us. We stomp off and attempt to fix it ourselves, perpetuating the cycle. Why do we doubt the living God?

When my friend posed her question to me, she surely did not know what a heaping can of worms she was opening! And most of this post is like preaching to the choir to her and many others that may come across it. But I know, as a fellow human being, how hard it can be to get information to transfer out of our heads and into our hearts. I pray that my little diatribe may be used as a defibrillator on things that have grown cold, stale and even lifeless. 

Things like your heart.

Things like your marriage.

Surviving the Summer

It has been one long, hot summer, here in Texas. Well, the summer has flown by, but the heat...it drags on and on and on. I'm all for breaking records: in the Olympics. But record high heat leaves much to be desired from this native Pacific Northwesterner, even if I am a girl who sees the glass "half full"! 


But Autumn is looming large, and welcoming, on the horizon. Which of course, means: school is starting!!!! This is a grand event for many parents ready to buy school supplies and send their kids on their happy way...But for those of us that homeschool, it can send us into panic mode as we scramble to buy last minute curriculum and make out our final (for the fifth time) schedule (that we know will have to change after the first month trial run).


That would be me, right now. So, once I get my organizational brain in place concerning the upcoming school year, I can put my creative brain back to work on this blog. I hope you all have had a fabulous summer, and if it was actually relaxing, I would like to know your secret! 


I'll be baaaack!

You Can't Go Back

My youngest is no longer so young. Entering seventh grade this year means life as a child is fading while the responsibilities and changes of a young adult are looming on the horizon. 

I drove past a Toys-R-Us the other day and realized it had been several years since I have graced their doors (no love lost there, really). We have been past the “toys for gifts” faze for several years now. Replaced with clothes and books and more grown up gadgets. 

It struck me several years ago that, at some point, there was a last time that I picked up each of my children and held them during church. But, at the moment, I didn’t know it was to be the last time. How sad not to have been able to relish it! 

Yet, if we all knew that it was creeping up to that point in the size and age of our children, I suppose we’d keep picking them up and carrying them around until they were big enough to pick us up and carry you around...which may prove embarrassing for all parties. 

Anyhow, we have been lamenting that our youngest was now entering junior high, and that all of our kids, come fall, were of “youth group” age for church. Although it is a wonderful new stage to be a part of, it has happened so swiftly that I feel I have been plucked up by some giant bird and dropped off further along in my life than I actually should be. 

The other evening I was enjoying some one on one time with my youngest (the one that isn’t so young). She leaned over to me and said, “You know, I’m not sure I want to start youth group in the fall.”

“Really?” I said, surprised by the revelation. “Why?”

“Because, I don’t know that I am ready to grow up just yet. I like being a kid.”

I thought I might melt. How sweet, how refreshing! (And how totally opposite from myself at that age). “That is perfectly fine, honey,” I said. “Once you begin that journey, you can never go back to childhood innocence. But you do have a choice from this end to put off growing up for awhile. There’s no hurry.”

“Ok,” she said is that trustful way that only a child can pull off. And that was all that needed to be said.

Pretty wise, for a kid. :)

Forgiving Our Offenders

I have been slooowly going through a study called, "Seeking Him, Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival," by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Tim Grissom. I am consistently inconsistent, so there are many days that I don't do the study, mostly for variety's sake, and many days that (I will confess) I just don't make the time I should for a quiet time. Praise God for grace!


Anyhow,  I have quoted from this wonderful study before, and ran across a few paragraphs this morning that struck me as too good to keep to myself! I pray it helps you walk out forgiveness as God leads you to obedience.


"Remember that God does not hold us responsible for the wrongs others have done to us; He only holds us responsible for how we respond to what others do to us."


"As Christ has forgiven you, fully forgive each offender. Remember that forgiveness is not a feeling; rather, it is a choice and an act of the will. It is a commitment to clear the other person's record and never to hold that offense against him again.


"Keep in mind that emotional healing may involve a process, but actual forgiveness can be extended in a moment. Don't wait to forgive until you feel emotionally healed from the wound; instead, choose to forgive and let God begin the process of true healing in your life." 


"Verbalize to the Lord your forgiveness of each of the individuals [that have hurt you]. 'Father, as you have forgiven me, so I choose to forgive [person] for [name the offense].' "Pg. 185


May you know the freedom and peace of God's forgiveness in your life towards you, as well as experiencing His power in allowing you to walk in forgiveness towards others!

Embracing the Great Commission: Radical Living

“...and God bless the missionaries all over the world. Amen.”

As children we may have prayed something similar to that statement. Maybe as adults we elaborated a little more on exactly how God should bless the missionaries all over the world...but the “us” (non-missionaries) and “them” (missionaries) mentality still remains.

Occasionally we will be reminded from the pulpit that Christ commanded all of us to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,” (Matt. 28:19). I know, personally, that I believe that is true in theory, but it often doesn’t live out in a very tangible way when I have insulated my life (albeit, unintentionally) with those that are already believers. I try and give myself a swift kick in the pants, to be “on the look out” when I am at the grocery store or some other non-church sort of place (as if I need to look for the person with the big question mark floating over his or her head so I know they are the ones searching for truth). When my awkward attempt at bringing the cashier to repentance ends with an odd look of dismissal, I retreat back to my little church-y world and justify my lack of authentic witnessing with my lack of non-Christian relationships.

The last two Sundays at our church have been so very convicting. Two different speakers (not our regular elders) have issued heart wrenching pleas of centering our life around the gospel. Radical calls have gone out to look at our comfortable, American lives, so nice and neat and sterile, and do more than pray for God to “bless the missionaries all over the world.”

Along with the usual reminder that WE ARE ALL MISSIONARIES, there has been a gentle and broken urging to live a life of such radical obedience, that in every area of our lives, Christ may be proclaimed. Do we need to sell our bigger home and live simply to give the money to the poor or to fund mission work? Maybe move into a neighborhood that we normally avoid driving through? Do we need to adopt a child? Maybe a “crack” baby? Do we need to open our home in some way? Are our neighbors seeing Christ in us? Do we need to give up our retirement plan for the plans of the Kingdom?

God has not promised us retirement, comfort, or even safety. He does promise persecution, trials and rebuke. Am I willing to count the cost? Am I willing to forsake all for the sake of Christ? Am I even willing to contemplate such things? And then, do I dare to breathe such a prayer as, “whatever it takes, use me” ? What if He takes me seriously?

I can’t honestly say, “I’m there”. I like to think that I am, in my self-righteous, glossed over heart. However, I know that this awakening is merely conviction, that demands repentance, that needs to result in change. So, this is just the beginning, a little baby step of obedience. Maybe a shout out to fellow believers because there is strength in numbers and it would be a beautiful thing to see masses of American Christians living radically. Placing my own struggles in writing also calls me into accountability. 

I was reading over the Great Commission this morning and realizing how practical the command is for each of us, right where we are. Christ’s disciples were not told to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth via Frequent Flyer Miles. They had two legs and two feet just like me. THAT is the way the gospel was going to get to the ends of the earth. Walking, talking, living, breathing...wave upon wave of a Christ centered life that brought those in their sphere of influence as well as those outside of their comfort zone into a spiritual orbit, revolving around the beauty of the gospel. 

I AM A MISSIONARY.

Living Intentionally

Have you already noticed how quickly the summer is filling up and flying by? To some extent, when I name the things that have already scooched onto my calendar, it seems like I have already spent it, like it is over and I have missed out on all the summery things I hoped to do!


Of course, it is just beginning, so I cannot actually fast forward it...yet, at times it feels we are living in fast forward, at least in my little corner of the world. Our mind is so consumed with what is coming up that we often miss the hear and now. I am guiltiest of all; crown me Queen of Multitasking and Over-committing.


I've come to realize that all the multi-tasking I did as a young mother of four children has left me very little memory of various things in our day-to-day life. So sad! Just not a lot of recall when you store everything in your short-term memory (which is what you do when you multi-task). The things there don't last long...hence the name "short term."


Desiring to learn from the past, I am deciding to live more intentionally in the present, when I have the presence of mind to do so...ha, ha! As the various activities loom large, I am going to stop and water the flowers, picking a few along the way. As well as spending time with the kids that says, "I am dropping all this other stuff and paying attention to YOU because you matter to ME!"


With that, I leave you for now. We have a book to finish reading and here I am on the computer...

Log On to Lobster...Get Connected, Get Organized and Get What You Need!

I am not entirely sure what Lobsters and Networking have in common...but I am pretty certain that the services offered (for free!) on the Lobster Network are going to be invaluable for many people. It is one of those websites that make you wonder why you didn’t come up with such an idea yourself, or, how you got along without it in the first place?

What can the Lobster Network do for you? Well, one of the simplest services is to help you keep track of your stuff! I think all of us suffer from the TOO-MUCH-STUFF disease. Do you share curriculum or reading material with others? Does your husband loan out tools or DVD’s? Do your kids like to share their video games with friends? Ever forget who loaned what to whom? With the Lobster Network, you can create your own personal inventory of things you have, things you are willing to loan, and who has borrowed them!

When you get your friends to use Lobster Network with you, they can see (for instance) that you have the Pride and Prejudice movie that you are willing to loan. They can ask to borrow it for a predetermined amount of time (say two weeks) and then you will each get a reminder for when it is due back! No more wondering what happened to the movie when you want to watch it, or feeling awkward calling your friend and saying, “Uh, remember that DVD you borrowed 6 months ago...we were wanting to watch it now...”.

Beyond the inventory control (which can also come in handy for insurance purposes in the unfortunate event of a fire or burglary, when you need to list your damaged/missing property), you can also have groups on Lobster Network that could suit many needs. These groups are secure within themselves to share information that not everyone can access.

For instance, a church library can utilize the Lobster Network as a way to track their items and remind people of when they are due without investing in an expensive compute system. How about a homeschool group that wants to share curriculum? A gardening club whose members want to share their seeds? There’s really no end to the possible uses for a secure networking site like this!

Within the Lobster Network you can set up personal accounts that only YOU can see. You can set up places for friends to browse your stuff that you are willing to share, and you can set up want ads or sell items, choosing how big the viewing audience is (from your own contacts to everyone on the Lobster Network).

The Lobster Network fills a niche I bet you didn’t know you had, until now! Click here to create a free account and let your friends know about this helpful site too. The sooner you connect, the sooner you guys can enjoying the benefits!

Guacamole Heaven...The Best Guac EVER!!!

Every time I make guacamole, I think: I need to get this recipe on my blog! 


I just made another batch and decided to head right over to my computer and get this up for others to enjoy. I cannot take credit for it; my best friend's husband is the chef for this one. But, we make it all of the time and everyone that tries it agrees: IT'S THE BEST!


Recipe:


3-4 Medium- Large Haas avocados. (A ripe avocado should be very dark green and slightly soft but            NOT mushy!)


1 Can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles). Do not drain.


About 1/3 of a lemon. You can use refrigerated lemon juice if you don't have fresh. You can substitute lime, but it isn't quite as tasty. You may also add more juice to taste, if you want, when it is at the tasting stage.


Garlic salt (about 1/2 tsp? I just shake it on. Start with a bit and add as you taste).


Cavendar's Greek Seasoning OR  Ground Pepper  (1-2 tsp. to taste). Cavendars is yummy but pepper is nearly as good if you don't have Cavendars. 


Method: Scoop avocados into bowl and mush well with fork. Dump can of Rotel into bowl and stir well. Add seasonings, stir, taste, tweak if needed, taste again... then watch it disappear! 

So yummy! I expect to see this stuff in heaven!