Surrender

I think that word is fast becoming my mantra for 2012. I am a control freak, no two ways about it. Belonging to Christ, I know my trust needs to be in Him. Not me. This need for control has caused me countless problems in my life ranging from anxiety to stomach issues. Not fun. Yesterday I came across this verse and I knew it was for me. Psalm 62:5 tells us "Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him." Finally, actual concrete direction that I can follow. Everyone tells me "just manage your stress", "don't worry so much", "just give it to God". I want to do all that. I really do! But, how? Wait quietly before God. Do...nothing. These words resonate truth within my spirit and I feel peace creeping through my soul. A light bulb moment. Stop striving, stop driving toward the goal, stop controlling, stop, stop, stop. Wait quietly. This is how you trust. This is how you surrender. The joy of having God illuminate His path for me is indescribable. In classic "God-fashion" His way is so perfectly simple. So...I surrender. I wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.   

Company's Comin!

We have some company staying with us for awhile. Company which happens to be a hungry teenage boy. Add that to my posse of four hungry kids and I have a lot of mouths to feed! This week, I am hoping to make lots of good but healthy, kid-pleasing food. One of my go-to recipes for a crowd is Oven Nachos. They are the easiest thing to make and everybody loves them.

And, since we've got a very early schedule each day this week, and I'd rather not serve cold cereal everyday, I thought I'd give these a try...

They are called Overnight Cinnamon Rolls. Some friends of ours gave us some for Christmas breakfast and they were so good! The simple dough goes together while you are making dinner, then they rise on the counter overnight and are ready for the oven in the morning. Sounds good to me!

Finally, to keep everybody filled up during those hungry couple of hours before dinner, I plan to make a batch of Banana Walnut Muffins. Keeping these guys fed is a job!

Homeschooling in the Sticks

Mondays for us usually mean homeschooling. We have a relaxed atmosphere but strive to get a lot done. With four kids ages eight to eighteen, there is a ton going on here learning-wise. The teenagers are fairly independent, but one needs everything laid out as far as planning. The other manages everything on her own. The younger kids have a mix of independent work and one-on-one time learning with mom. These guys, "the littles" do science together which is a life-saver for me. They are studying botany right now and doing some really cool experiments.

We have been homeschooling for six years now and just love it. It has been such a natural fit for us. That is not to say it's been easy, but it has been fun and so very, very worth it. One thing we discovered soon after moving to the country is that homeschooling is much more common out here in the boonies than it was in the burbs. Having a largish family and homeschooling too made us quite the curiosity in town, but out here, we don't raise an eyebrow (at least not for homeschooling!). We have a busy day today working on school,  getting ready for company and running errands. Time to get to it!

Our Country Experiment

Four-and-a-half years ago we took a risk. We pulled up stakes after thirty-some-odd years of suburb life and moved to the country. Way out into the country. More than thirty minutes by car to a real city, and a small city at that. Our reasons for moving were many and a long time coming. This new life, this country experiment is everything we hoped it would be and nothing like what we anticipated. We've found new friends we couldn't imagine our lives without now and learned a ton about ourselves. We've been stretched and molded and challenged. Keep up with us as we live our country experiment!