My Take on Proverbs 31 and How I Manage the Calling...

As women, we have a tendency to beat ourselves up when we don't do everything perfectly. We, by nature, will always compare ourselves to someone. We will always feel as if a part of our value comes from how well we run a home.

I pray that you know that your value does not come from what you do, but it comes from who you are.

"Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." Matthew 10:31


"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13


Sometimes our kids can have cereal for dinner, and that is okay. Sometimes the laundry sits in the dryer for days. And that is okay.  I do believe we are given a command to care for our family in a God-honoring way. I believe that scripture has given us a clear picture of what a honorable wife looks like through Proverbs 31. Instead of looking at this as an in-accomplishable task, I want us to come together as women, loving God and loving our families.

Proverbs 31:

^[b]A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

I once heard a pastor say that all of these qualities cannot be found in one woman, but that these characteristics are a combination of several honorable woman, and we should not put that kind of pressure upon ourselves.

I do not not agree. 

I believe that the Lord has charged us with this expectation. Will we fail? Yes. And each day, the Lord's mercies are poured out upon us, and grace is given for us to try again. 

I believe the problem lies in the fact that we live in a society that has made these expectations almost impossible. Often times the task of carrying for our home and our family is given a negative outlook from society. We finish the day feeling overwhelmed, undone, and exhausted. I truly believe that the enemy does all that he can to steal the joy from our lives. We should take delight in the ability to care for our families and loved ones. Have I figured this out yet? No. But..

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

We make other woman that we see on TV, facebook, magazines, and even our colleages, our comparisons instead of the woman from Proverbs. I believe we need to rally around each other, encouraging one other, sharing ideas, thoughts, and scripture that could help us to be strong, godly woman, caring for our homes. We should finish the day, thankful for the opportunity to invest in the lives of those around us, for the meals that were served, and for another day to shape, mold, and point our loved ones toward Christ.

And ladies, please do not think that I have this altogether. I've spent the last ten years trying to figure out a balance of work, life, cooking, and cleaning. It is still, and always will be, a work in progress. There are so many days that end in tears from complete exhaustion and the feelings of failure. There are days when I almost resent the family I love so dearly because the task of caring for them seems just too great. 

That is why I need Jesus so desperately. And I need you, too. I need godly women encouraging me to keep at it. I seek advice, ask for tips, ideas, recipes, and suggestions, so that I can end the day snuggling with my littles, soaking in their grins and giggles, without the blanket of burden that the enemy can easily drape over our homes.

So, I do try to "get up while it is still night and provide food for my family." (v.15) And I try, with all of God's grace, to "watch over the affairs of my household, and not eat the bread of idleness." (v. 27).

Taking care of a family is hard. Kids are messy. Husbands can be even messier. And they all need to eat. All. the. time. Taking care of humans is tough stuff. Wonderful, yes. Tough, yes. There have been many Mondays, and I know there are more to come, where there is not a home-cooked meal on the table and there are crumbs on the floor. If someone else cleans your home, and you pick up take-out every night, I believe with my whole heart that you can still fulfill Proverbs 31. I am simply sharing what works for me. 

What matters more than any cooking or cleaning you will ever do, is that you are seeking the Lord on a daily basis. Let me encourage you to make it a point to spend time with Him each morning this week. Invest all of yourself into knowing Him - and your family will reap the benefits of a mama/wife who gets her strength from the Source of Life. 

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Proverbs 31:30

Ladies, we need each other in this. So, scroll down for a practical cooking and cleaning schedule. Consider next week's meals planned. Ask Jesus to live in you and through you as you give of yourself to serve your family. I am praying for you.

The schedule below has helped me care for the needs of my home without leaving me feeling completed defeated. I am praying that you can use this schedule, or one that works for you, and feel empowered and motivated to honor God through your work as wife/mom.  

Cleaning Routine (this normally takes about 45 minutes each day):

Monday - Laundry (including all sheets & towels), Sweep living room & Kitchen, vacuum bedrooms

Wednesday - Laundry, Dusting and Bathrooms, Sweep living room & kitchen, vacuum bedroom

Friday - Laundry, Clean all floors, mop, vacuum. 

*On Fridays, my kids can watch as much TV as they want. This way, I can look at a clean home for more than 42 seconds. :) Otherwise this happens within 30 minutes of a clean house:

#thestruggleisreal

*Note: I try to keep up with this schedule during the school year, but I'm often too tired to clean at the end of a long workday. If I do not get to clean during the week, I normally spend about two hours on Saturday mornings cleaning. Mr. Crawford will often take the kids out to do something fun so that I can get this done peacefully. Otherwise...

Cooking Schedule: 

*Note: I plan all of my meals for the upcoming week on Thursday. During the summer, I go to the grocery store on Friday mornings before my children wake up. During the school year, I try to do this on Saturday mornings. I also do as much of my meal preps on my grocery shopping days. This normally saves a great deal of time during the week.

*I only cook 3 days a week. Normally Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. During the summer, I try to make double of everything that I can and freeze it. We live by crock-pot meals when I'm working full time.

Below is my schedule for next week: 

Monday - Chili-Lime Shrimp with Quinoa & Sweet Peas (I saw this recipe in a kroger magazine,  so scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe)

Tuesday - Humus Crusted Chicken with Squash and Zucchini

Wednesday - Leftovers. If we do not have leftovers, we eat cereal, or eggs. If we have a little extra money, we go to Moe's. 

Thursday - Low-Sodium Chicken Enchiladas - Making double and freezing one. Warning - This is a pretty in-depth recipe in my book. Lots of weirdo ingredients, but I found them all at Kroger. If you are not sodium conscious, just by a couple of jars of the green salsa verde. 

Friday - We always order Chinese and the hubs and I watch a movie in the bed as we eat this EVERY friday. It's our thing.  We pick up either pizza or Chick-Fil-A for the kids.

Saturday - Leftovers, sandwiches, eggs, cereal, otherwise known as "pantry picks" :)

Sunday - Sundays are easy and we are blessed that our families cook for us. I like to contribute a dessert to our Sunday night dinners. This Sunday I am making Caramel Cobbler. 

Extra Meal - I try to have an extra meal that I make for Russ to have for lunch during the week. I have a lot of mouths to feed, so we rarely have enough leftovers for his lunch the next day. I try to always keep a pot of rice and beans, or stew, so that he has something to munch on when he comes home for lunch. This week, I'm making Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup. This is going to be a freezer meal as well. 

Chili-Lime Shrimp with Quinoa and Sweet Peas

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
• 3 Tbsp. Butter (I used unsalted, of course)
• 1/4 cup lime juice, divided
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 lb. peeled and deveined uncooked extra large shrimp, (about 16 to 20)
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves, divided

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions, adding peas during last 3 minutes of cook time.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons lime juice and chili powder and cook until bubbly. Stir in shrimp and cook, turning once, until pink, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon of the cilantro.
3. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons cilantro and 2 tablespoons lime juice into hot cooked quinoa. Arrange quinoa on plates. Top with shrimp; drizzle any sauce remaining in skillet over shrimp.

Surprised By Motherhood....

The hubs has taken the girls to see the fireworks. Will is asleep. I have at least one hour, maybe two, of interrupted time to myself, with my favorite drink of choice. Let freedom ring.

Earlier this summer, I read a book titled Surprised by Motherhood, by Lisa Jo Baker. While pretending to be a stay-at-home mom this summer, I find myself saying that title over and over in my head. Motherhood is in fact, so surprising.

And glorious.
And exhausting.
And marvelous.
And draining.
And tiring.
And beautiful.
And worth every ounce of energy that I could possibly pour into it.

I loved reading this book because I could relate entirely to her message. She grew up not wanting children, which I don't relate to, but the Lord drastically changed her and revealed himself through the birth of each of her three children. This book reminded me of the importance of soaking in and trying to learn from each exhausting moment, as they each pass so very quickly.

"But I believe God loves us too much to leave us flailing in our self-centered universe, so He delivers these tiny reflections of ourselves into our homes with earthquake effectiveness." pg. 187, Surprised by Motherhood.

Is that not the truth? Earthquake effectiveness.

Earlier this week, I was able to have a couple of hours out with some girlfriends. One of my dearest friends is just about ready to deliver her first baby boy in a couple of weeks. She is having all of the normal anxious feelings and has so many questions. As the other mamas and myself were reassuring her, tears came to my eyes as I reflected upon the indescribable exerperince she is about to encounter. The beauty of that moment, holding your child, your first child, is the most life-changing experience any woman will go through. I couldn't help but encourage her and tell her, that her life as she knows it was about to get one million times greater. She is about to receive, what I truly believe, is the greatest gift on this side of heaven. But once again, motherhood is so surprising.

Because she will be exhausted, and hormonal, and doubt her abilities. Her boobs will ache, she will cry for no reason, and then she will hold this non-sleeping human, and feel like a superwoman. It is so surprising.

And then babies grow, and you will long for an hour with just you and your husband. However, when that hour comes, you will miss that sweet baby so much that you rush home just to watch her sleep. Motherhood is surprising.

And then, if your like me, you quickly become pregnant again. You will cry and scream and wonder how on earth you, or your checkbook, will survive. Well, once again, your surprised by motherhood. You hold that baby and wonder how on earth you ever lived a day without her. 

And then, if you're anything like me, three years will pass, and you'll ache to hold a newborn again. You will become pregnant and wonder why on earth you wanted this as you throw up your breakfast each morning. Your back will ache, your clothes won't fit, you'll pee when you sneeze, and you'll pray that the baby will come early. As you deliver, you begin to cry, as you realize you may never experience life inside you again. Surprised by Motherhood.

Your babies will start school and sports. You'll love and listen. Encourage and discipline. Laugh and cry. You will experience doubt and joy. You will act in ways you promised you wouldn't. Motherhood is surprising.

Through it all, Jesus is there. He knows and understands every ounce of our being, our desires, our needs, and our wants. He uses these tiny humans to teach us more about his love and His sacrifice for us. He entrusts us with these gifts so that we can direct and point them to love, honor, and glorify Him. Mamas, we will mess up. We will have bad days, and say the wrong thing. But, motherhood is surprising. And His mercies are new each morning.

"There is no part of our everyday, wash and repeat routine of kids and laundry and life and fights and worries and playdates and aching budgets and preschool orientations and work and marriage and love and new life and bedtime marathons that Jesus doesn't look deep into and say, 'That is mine.' In him all things hold together." page 116, Surprised by Motherhood.

I am incredibly grateful for each of my three blessings. With each day, I'm continuing to be surprised by motherhood.

Our Easter

Is this time of year not the most precious? There are so many things about this season and this time of year that put a smile on my face.

I want to share this sweet little video that a friend shared with me so I could share it with my girls. We do our best to explain to our daughters what Easter is about, but it is difficult trying to explain to a 2-year about sin and death and new life. This little video was not just great for my girls, but it was wonderful for me to watch as well. Hearing the Easter story from a child's perspective was exactly what I needed on this Good Friday. I hope it is equally as heart-warming to you and yours. May we never forget the significance of this event.

Easter involves traditions for us. I'm a gal that loves traditions. I love the Easter bunny. I love getting dressed up for church. I would even put on a hat and gloves and little shiny white shoes if I could get away with. But, my man is a hippie and we have church in the park. I do enjoy the sunrise service with our friends on Easter morning. There really is something special about a sunrise service. We follow that up by coming back to our house for a big breakfast with our church family. Then, we do get dressed up and go to church with my family, the traditional way.

And then there is the Easter bunny. The Mr. is not a fan of the Easter bunny. As stated above, I like him...a lot. I think all of that is nothing but fun for the littles and I want my girls to have those same memories as I did, at least until their daddy tells them otherwise. :) He has great motives, and I agree with him. I don't want my girls to be distracted away from the true meaning of Easter. So we comprise. Our Easter bunny comes on Saturday morning so that he can have more time at church on Sunday. :)

After we open our baskets in the morning, we will follow up with the cutest little "Bunny Rolls" that I found on pinterest.

I've also made a Easter treat tray that I will take to our family gatherings. This works a lot like my holiday cookie tray that I simply refill in between stops to arrive with a plate full of goodness. On this particular treat tray, I'm taking "bunny bark" (thank the good Lord above for pinterest!), oreo truffles (these are the same as the Christmas ones, just with Easter sprinkles and minus the peppermint), and little brownie bird nests. I got the idea from here, but tweaked it to use brownies instead of the cookie dough.

And I just have to share this photo of my girls who were so excited to "help mama in the kitchen". LR wanted to make sure I let her do the sprinkles! What a blessing they are!

Hopefully, I will be back in a few to post post-Easter pics. I'm not promising anything due to the fact that spring break will soon be over and I'll be back in survival mode.

Enjoy your Easter with your families! He is ALIVE!

Thankful for Him...

This year is wrapping up and I have so very much to be thankful for. We've had an eventful year including the birth of a baby and my husband's accident. And although I am so incredibly grateful that our precious Lord allowed me to experience more of His grace and mercy through all he has done for us, I am most thankful this morning that I am His.

I am thankful that 15 years ago the Lord allowed me to experience conviction so strong that I had no other choice but to surrender my life to Him. 

I am thankful that although becoming a Christian didn't lead to a life of health and wealth, that I have a relationship with my Father who provides for my every need and uses this life to teach me more about Himself.  He has been, is, and will always be enough.

I am thankful that he has allowed me the gift of being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend, all of which he is using to grow me daily.

I am thankful.

Please take time today to cherish this pure holiday. It's not about gifts or decorations, it is simply about cherishing the things we have been given and spending time with the people we love so dearly.

My hubs=the philosopher

So, this man of mine is probably the smartest person I know.  Seriously. When we started dating, I would've NEVER imagined him to be in school pursuing a Master's degree in philosophy, of all things. He was/is the biggest goof-off I've ever known. But that Jesus of mine is in the transformation business, and that is exactly what He has done with Russ. He has stirred a strong passion and desire in his heart for philosophy and apologetics. Russ continually blows my mind with the things he says, reads, understands, and discovers. I'm very proud of him.

With all that said, he's created a little blog as a place to post his papers from his studies. If your into philosophy, you will LOVE his papers. I'm not. at. all. When Russ talks to me about this stuff, I normally just smile and nod. It goes completely over my head. But, he's also posted a little extra life stuff, so for those of you who are more like me, you might enjoy it, too.

He's titled it, Because I don't want to cut the grass..., and that couldn't be a better title.

Our Sweet Surprise!

Today our little Lyla Spring is 6 months old. I simply can't believe it. When I was pregnant with her time passed so slowly. Now, I just want to freeze time. Six months is such a precious age.

This little doll baby that we have has a special story. She wasn't expected. We had never planned to have two babies so close together. As the Word tells us, 'His ways are higher than ours.' No, Russ and I would not have planned on little Lyla, but I cannot tell you how grateful I am that I'm not in charge.

It was May 17, 2010. I came home from work very sick. I told my dear friend Beth that I felt  "pregnant sick," not just "sick".  I didn't think that I was pregnant, I just felt that sick. When I came home that afternoon, I remembered that I had a pregnancy test and so I took it. As I began to see the little "+" sign appear, I began to panic. All I could say was "Lord, what are you doing? Lord, what are you doing?" I broke down. Not because I don't love babies. I ADORE babies. I want a house-full of babies. But, we had this precious 9-month old that had already stolen our hearts. Russ was/is in school full-time. He is in ministry, and his ministry is based on support, which means he makes a part-time salary. I'm a teacher = enough said. We didn't have the money. I had no sick leave. We couldn't afford more day care. A million thoughts flashed through my mind in 1.2 seconds as to why this would be the worst possible thing that could happen to us.

I collapsed on the floor - literally. Russ just kept saying, "Everything is fine. Alison, we are having a baby! That is wonderful!" Later, he admitted to me that he was about to throw-up, but he knew we couldn't both lose our minds.

So we began to pray. Lord, we would not have planned this, but obviously, you think this family isn't complete. You think Lily Rain needs a sibling and we need another life to be responsible for. Please provide, Lord.

We began to wonder if Russ should quit school and give up his ministry and just take on a normal job. Amazing things began to happen. It would take me 3 days to write about all the ways the Lord made it clear that He was our provider. That He is the source of life and His plans for us are for good and not for harm. He made it clear to us that He has done nothing but give us a gift; a sweet, perfect, gift, in the form of a baby. We, as humans, have taken beautiful gifts and given them price tags. In doing so, we have labeled so many blessings as burdens.

We learned this lesson on January 20, 2011. Our Lyla Spring decided to make her appearance and my heart has never been the same. She has brought nothing but pure joy into our lives. I never thought I could love another human being the way I love Lily Rain, but the Lord multiplied my love and filled a void I didn't even know I had when she entered our lives. I look at her and I am completely ashamed for the way I acted when I found out about her. She entered this world, demanding one thing, to be loved. She hasn't asked for the nicest homes, or cars, or clothes. She simply wants to be loved. We have allowed our world to tell us that the more you give your children, the more you love them. In turn, we have daddies that never come home and call it "provision". We have houses and cars that teach our children that success=stuff. We have moms working to attain a certain standard of living, while someone else raises their children. It is heartbreaking.

Has it been hard, yes. We still struggle financially. We have credit card bills, and mortgages, and we ask ourselves every month, "how are we going to pay for ______?" But when I look at her, none of that matters. I would do it all again tomorrow.

To me it all boils down to one thing, do we believe what God says about children, that they are a blessing and a gift? The Lord has shown me that "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines His steps". (Proverbs 16:9)

I am so thankful that the Lord determined my steps for me and brought this angel into our lives. We are incredibly grateful.

Here are a few pictures from the past 6 months.

Happy half-birthday Lyla Spring. Mommy, Daddy, and Lily Rain love you more than you will every know!

Sunday School and Breakfast

A couple of days ago I was reading through the Good Book. I've been doing a Beth Moore Study on the book of Esther and it has been great, but I was feeling bogged down in all the "study" and felt like I had gotten away from just hearing from the Word. Well, I opened up the Bible and it fell to Jonah. I thought, "Nah, Jonah is soooo 3rd grade." So, I flipped some more and came to Matthew 12. Well, what do you know, Jesus is talking it up about good ol' Jonah. So, I surrendered.

Okay, Lord, you win.

I'll read Jonah, even though I know all about this big fish vomiting him onto the shore.

Well, as we all know, His ways are incredible higher than ours and that sweet Jesus I serve had a little lesson for me in those four short chapters. If you haven't read it in a while, I encourage you to do so. Here is what the Lord spoke to me yesterday:

So, after Jonah gets swallowed he prays to God from the belly of the fish. Part of his prayer really struck me in Chapter 2,

 ⁸ “Those who cling to worthless idols 
   forfeit God’s love for them. 
⁹ But I, with shouts of grateful praise, 
   will sacrifice to you. 
What I have vowed I will make good. 
   I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’”

Verse 8 is so powerful to me. I began to think about things that I've made my idols. Lately, through personal conviction and the book, Radical, I really think I've made my comfort an idol. I am so comfortable in this world. What do I sacrifice? If I feel led to give, we might not get to eat out one weekend, but is that really sacrificing?  Jesus' definition of what a true sacrifice is looks completely different than what I've defined it as. 

If you continue on through the book, Jonah becomes very angry with God because God provides things for him and then they are taken away. Jonah becomes concerned with what the Lord took, instead of focusing on the blessing that it was while he had it. Then, the Lord questions if Jonah realizes that there are people to be concerned with and not comforts that he no longer had. 

So, there is your Sunday school lesson for today. I wasn't going to share that with you, but on our way to church this morning, the radio pastor guy discussed, you guessed it, the book of Jonah! So, I thought that maybe you might get a little something out of it too.

Now for the breakfast, or dessert, whichever you want it to be:

Pumpkin Muffins

These are one of my most favorite recipes of all time, yes, it is that good! :) I first got this recipe from my dear friend Beth. The most glorious part is that it only takes TWO ingredients! You will be tempted to add eggs, or oil, maybe even water. But don't do it!! It only needs these two ingredients and you are saving your waistline a few inches if you just stick with what I'm about to tell you.

Ingredients

1 box of spice cake mix

1 can of pumpkin

Directions: Mix. Pour in greased or lined muffin tins. Cook on 350 for 16 minutes. Eat 'em up!

We have these almost every weekend from October-February. We had the most wonderful drop in temperature here the past two days (it went from 872 degrees, to 72 degrees) and it made me think about Fall. With fall comes pumpkin recipes, and that is how it all began. 

My sweet sister-in-law mixes powdered sugar and milk and drizzles that yummy mix on top of these. Also, I've taken can of premade cream cheese frosting and added pumpkin pie spice to it and spread it on top for dessert. Do what your heart desire, but make these muffins quickly! You can read the book of Jonah in the 16 minutes it takes to cook them! :) You won't regret it. 

I hope you've had a terrific Sunday!