Encouraging Others

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

2 Corinthians 1: 3-7 (NASB)

Isn't it kind of God to comfort us, perhaps (and often) through the counsel of others when we are going through a trial?  And then, He calls us to use this comfort to, in turn, comfort others who are going through trials.  Recently...as in "last week"...God gave me two opportunities to encourage some sweet, young mothers who are facing different trials. And they are trials that are totally different from the trial I went through. But still, my encouragement to them was the same.  But how can the same advice be comforting to both of them?  Well, because it's God's Word - which never changes.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to comfort others with the comfort with which I have been comforted. Even when my trial was totally different...the same encouragement I got from others can also encourage them. Love it when that happens.

AWB BLOGtober Fest, Day 5: {Foodie Friday}

Today is Day 5 of the AWB BLOGtober Fest Challenge. And today, we're talking about food - specifically favorite fall recipes.  Fall foods are some of those that I most consider "comfort foods" - chili, stew, soup, pumpkin and spices.  Mmmm. I can hardly wait for the weather to cool down so I can make some of that yummy stuff.  However, I'm not going to talk to you about dinner. I'm going to talk to you about all the sweet stuff that makes a girl gain 20 pounds every winter.

First on my list: Caramel Cake with Browned-Butter-Caramel-Sea-Salt frosting.  

I am not lying when I tell you that the first time I made this cake, I loved it so much I made it six more times over the next six weeks. I took it to everything that holiday season. And, FYI, the leftover frosting (if you have any) is superb on graham crackers. You need to know going in that browned butter has a very distinctive, nutty flavor and not everyone is a fan. I am. And my waistline paid that winter of 2008...but man, was it ever GOOD stuff!

This year, we have discovered two things that are going to be cool/cold weather staples - Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip Muffins  (I altered the Allrecipes.com recipe by adding a 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom and I also use freshly grated nutmeg).  The kids love them, we've had them for breakfast four times this month and have taken them to Care Group as well.  I never even get to take pictures of these because they get inhaled. They're super easy to mix up and toss in the oven. My 8 year-old (not my cook - that's my 9 y/o) mixed up a batch for breakfast early this week.

The other thing that we've loved recently is Pumpkin Pancakes. I doubled the recipe and have to admit to not being exact in my pumpkin measurements since many reviews I read said the pumpkin flavor wasn't quite strong enough. I also added about a tablespoon more butter because I was too lazy to lop off the extra that was on the already-cut-stick-of-butter-in-the-fridge. Yeah, I'm a rebel like that. And, I added...wait for it...wait...for...it...cardamom.  I know you're surprised about that.  These pancakes were fabulous with the caramel syrup I make when I make the previously mentioned Caramel Cake. Oh my stars, that was sooooo good!!!  The kids loved them and have asked for them for both breakfast and dinner a couple of times since the night we originally had them.

We can talk about other (savory) fall favorites later, okay? I promise!  What's your favorite fall food?

P.S.  I know I missed yesterday -- we spent almost all day at the State Fair, then I had dinner with some of the ladies in my Care Group and I fell in bed exhausted last night!  But if I were to "promote" anything it would be the series of six posts I did on our infertility journey -(be aware this brings the posts in reverse order - so read from the bottom post up).  The posts are long because (a) it was a TEN YEAR journey and (b) I learned a lot about God and myself during that time. :) 

AWB BLOGtober Fest, Day 3: Fall Traditions

Today is day 3 of the Arkansas Women Bloggers BLOGtober Fest. Today we're talking about Fall Traditions.

Initially, I thought, "We don't have any fall traditions." But then I realized, "Oh, yes we do! My favorite one!" I got the idea from my dear friend, Becky.  We make a Thankful Tree and put it in our dining area at the beginning of November. Each day we take a leaf or acorn and write on it one thing we are thankful for that day.  I need to make a new tree trunk this year - the one I had finally bit the dust.  I make my tree trunk out of photo mat board - buy a big sheet at Hobby Lobby (use your 40% off coupon!). I just draw my best, kiddie kind of tree trunk with a couple of branches then cut it out and then use sticky-tack to hold it to the wall. Leaves are from a pattern I found online (Better Homes & Gardens, I think, for a "fall leaves applique pillow" or something) and cut out of various colors of construction paper - mostly brown, yellow and orange with a little bit of red, purple and green thrown in for good measure. We also use sticky-tack to hold the leaves to the wall.  FYI, if you have an electronic cutting machine like a Silhouette, buy cut files and let the machine do all your work!  :)

Here are some photos of previous Thankful Trees:

Close-ups of a few leaves can be found here.  I love this tradition. We are always thankful for people, things (like "the heat pump" one year - hahaha, that was the year we got ours replaced on 10/31 so on 11/1 we were all very thankful!), church stuff...lots of different things! And it's fun to see what the kids come up with. I fully expect to see "Billy the Exterminator" and "Duck Dynasty" on leaves this year.

AWB BLOGtober Fest, Day 2: Halloween Memories

Welcome to day 2 of the Arkansas Women Bloggers BLOGtober Fest  Challenge.  Today we're talking about Halloween memories.  Fun stuff.

My mom always made a big deal about holidays. I mean, decorations on the doors, on the windows, and throughout the house. I always loved the Halloween decorations she used in our home when I was little. I wish she still had them, I'd totally steal them to use at my house. (she does still have some cute stuff, it's just not the stuff from my childhood)  She had a jointed chipboard scarecrow for the front door, other cardboard decorations for the picture window -- a black cat, a witch's hat, a full moon. I remember she always made a lot of our costumes. We chose a mask (remember those masks with the elastic cord that held them onto your head...the kind they can't sell anymore because they are a safety hazard? yeah, that kind)...anyway, we chose a mask and mom made a costume to go with it. My favorite costume was from 1971. My sister and I were both witches. I chose this fabulous mask that had "real" (fake) hair. We had that mask in our toy box for years - and fought over it, because my sister and I both loved it. I know, you're shocked that I fought with my sister! Last year, I found and scanned a photo Mom took of Sammie and me in those costumes. Tell me, am I wrong about the fabulousness? I think not:  

By the way, I made this my Facebook profile picture. Hahaha!

Now, my Halloween memories are all wrapped up in my kids. Ladybugs and Disney Princesses reigned for years...and then along came Squirt. As in Squirt-the-baby-sea-turtle-from-Finding Nemo.  And now, this photo is one of my favorites ever:

Elizabeth, age 5, as Hannah Montana; Harrison, 8 months, as Squirt; Annie, age 2, as Tinkerbell; Nin, age 4, as Fancy Nancy.  Oh, how I loved that particular Halloween!  I look at this picture and my heart aches. It was only four years ago; but, my kids are so big now...I miss this. Yet, I love the stage we're in now, too. {wipes eyes...I'll be okay, let's move on, shall we}

Last year, I made some really fun Halloween treats for preschool teachers, our speech pathologist, and Girl Scout troop leaders - they were really fun and very easy to make.  I love making Halloween treats for special people. Making some more for this year, which I'll share next week when I get them finished. 

Instructions, including what NOT to do, can be found here.  You could easily do them for other holidays or change them to "harvest" in case you don't do Halloween.  And for those who wonder "How do you justify doing Halloween when you call yourself a reformed Christian?"  Well, my friends, it is a matter of conscience. Trick-or-Treating doesn't bother my conscience (free candy!) so we do it.  And I've had to learn that feeling judged by others is MY problem.  (you can read more about that here, should you so choose...and by the way, the link to the Grace to You article in that particular blog post is outdated -- the article now resides here) 

BLOGtober Fest, Day 1: Fall Fashion & Decorating

Today you'll be reading lots from other Arkansas Women Bloggers about Fall Fashion & Decorating. Um, say what?! Fashion and decorating? From me?!  Whatever in the world might I have to say about fashion and decorating?  Not a lot, trust me! I'm a sweatshirt/t-shirt/sweater and blue jeans kind of girl. Though, I will say that of late, it is a necessity that my jeans be boot-cut.  You see, my friends, I have fallen in love with cowboy boots.

I could go into a long spiel about my boots and which ones I have and all that. But I'll spare you.  I will tell you that my Daddy bought a beautiful pair of black lizard-skin boots before my wedding and that's what he wore with his tux. (that was fine by me) So, when he learned I wanted boots he was more than happy to buy me a pair. One for my birthday last year. One for my birthday this year. And I love them. The second it cools down around here, they are on my feet!! All my Facebook friends get a little nauseous when I talk about my boots. But seriously. They're pretty awesome.  So, there's my fashion advice. Get boots. Wear them often. Love them. Okay, I can't let you out of here without you seeing my boots.  First pair, Birthday 2011, Old West snipped toe and they are on sale at Shepler's for much less than my Daddy paid for them. You can't go wrong with them, trust me:

Second pair, Birthday 2012. I saw them with all the advertising for the AWBU conference (Country Outfitters was a sponsor). Daddy ordered them from Country Outfitters. They are much more dressy and girly. They rock.  Laredo brand, Miranda in gray. It's a brushed leather so I don't dare wear them in the rain! They are fabulous:

Now I feel better. You've seen my boots.  :)

As for decorating, well, my oldest daughter did all my October decorating this year. I was at the office, the kids were dying to get everything out. So, they did. Elizabeth put all the jack-o-lantern stuff on the dining table. We've had to change up the table decorations a little because our table is square now. I don't do anything special to the mantel because it holds each of my kids' professional portraits.

Outdoors, I have flipped and flopped and flipped and flopped and flipped on paint color for the Adirondack rocker on our front porch. It was black and the weather had really affected it over the past four years:

 Originally, I thought ORANGE, it would really pop on the front porch! So fun and a little bit shocking against the grey and white brick.  But then I realized there's just no way to make orange work during the holiday season, winter and spring. So, my next thought was RED. But I kept coming back to how to make red work in the spring. Not happening. Finally, I settled on a great PEA GREEN. Perfect! I can use this for everything but post-Christmas winter but I can figure something out between now and then. Bought primer, bought paint. Sanded the chair, started priming. Ran out of primer. Went back to Home Depot. Waffled on RED again. And then, I saw it. AQUA.  Perfect. Use it with pastels for spring; bright colors for summer; orange/brown/gold and maybe a little eggplant or maroon for fall; red & white or cream for Christmas and other blues for the rest of winter. Oh my word. Finally! (although I did briefly entertain the idea of  SKY BLUE or ROYAL BLUE).



I'm still on the hunt for outdoor pillows in the colors I want for each season - but every time I see the chair on the porch, it makes me smile...

...and not just because this adorable face is sitting in it.  It's really a lot of fun! Anyone have suggestions on where to get some great outdoor pillows that don't cost a billion dollars?

P.S.I've also discovered I love spray paint.

Things I Love About Autumn

Here are just a few things I love about autumn -- what about you?

• clear skies
• cool days
• crisp, chilly nights
• FOOTBALL!!! And this year, we are loving high school football, especially, as we go to my nephew's home games. Takes me back about 30 years!
• pumpkin flavored stuff -- coffee creamer, muffins, pie (and I don't even like pie!!), coffee cake
• I get to wear my cowgirl boots every day!!! And, this year I have TWO pair!
• Decorating for Halloween and then for Thanksgiving
• Costumes for trick-or-treating
• Thanksgiving with my family
• Did I mention the weather?
• And football?  

I usually love decorating my table for October and then November. In October it's all pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. In November, the pilgrims and Indians come out - along with squash and acorns.  This year, my kids were so excited about decorating that they did it one evening while I was at the office.  Elizabeth did a fabulous job on the dining table and I will share it later, I promise. She is such the little mother. I don't know what I'd do without her!

Friday night is homecoming for my nephew. Tomorrow we have to go to Hobby Lobby and get the stuff to make signs for the kids to hold during the game to cheer him on. He's a senior this year so it's a BIG deal! Can't wait! I hope the weather stays this fabulous. It's great football weather, don't you think?

Seasonal Transition

If you've been around here very long, you know the seasonal closet transition in this house will make me whine like nothing else.  It takes weeks, it leads to tons of laundry, I hate it. I grumble, I complain, I am unkind to my children, and I am completely ungrateful for the clothes my children have. I am a wretch!!

This year, I decided to take a different approach. I still whined (some) - but I did it in ONE DAY.  I wasn't unkind to the kids. I enlisted their help in little ways -- putting someone in charge of all the hangers, someone else in charge of the boxes for others, someone else as the messenger to Daddy when we needed another box. Oh my gracious, the clothes!!! Annie has hit the size where Elizabeth & Nin collided (they both hit size six at the same time). She had a summer closet full. She has a winter closet full...though not quite as full as the summer closet was -- it was obscene, let me tell you.  One thing that helped the winter closet not be as full, she nixed a lot of the things her sisters wore.  Not that she isn't thankful, or the clothes weren't cute -- but she doesn't like turtlenecks (never bothered her sisters) and she isn't wild about sweatshirts or anything "fuzzy".  We have lots of boxes to bless others, though - whether on to our Baby Cousins or taking to Share & Swap for church.  Aaaaaand, we just found another box in the garage of stuff for Annie. So, while I mix up Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins - Bits is going to finish trying on clothes for fall & winter.

I'll tell you about the muffins later, and will share the recipe I use then, too.

And PS, it helped that yesterday was cold and rainy -- so everyone had to stay inside!

Blogtober Fest

Arkansas Women Bloggers will be hosting "Blogtober Fest" in about a week and a half.  You can read all about it here.  Good. I need something to kick me into blogging! I have had my nose to the grindstone for the past five months with work. I need to break out of my all-work-and-no-play bubble. Looking forward to participating. Hope you'll check it out!

And try to rein in your shock over the fact that I actually blogged,   Oh, AND I stripped and repainted the Adirondack rocker that is on my front porch. The painting got done in 15 minute increments over the past several days (during work breaks) I'll share pictures of it during the Blogtober Fest, I promise.  And I have a few new, favorite recipes I need to share.