The Story

I have quite a story to tell you.  Part of it is the end of one of my stories.  But mostly it's someone else's story.  I got her permission to tell it to you.

This is one of my favorite stories ever.  But it starts with a car accident.

I caused a little fender bender back in May (you can read about it here).  I was so embarrassed and ashamed that I had caused an accident.  And I just couldn't understand how it had happened.  It was literally like my eyes were kept from seeing this car that I hit.  I told Jared at the time that, as crazy weird as it sounds, I felt like maybe God had a hand in me getting in an accident.  There were little ways we saw Him working, but it turns out now that He had a huge plan in mind.

I got a ticket (Failure to Yield while making a left turn) from the accident.  I was given the option to take a Traffic Safety class in order to have the ticket removed from my record.  I dragged my feet until I was almost out of time to take the class.  Finally, I registered for the FOUR HOUR class on Monday, August 10.

I was complaining to my friend Michele about having to take the class.  It's so long.  I'd have to drive to our local community college, and I don't know my way around the campus.  I was just whining, but Michele was concerned about me, especially about me walking back out to my car late at night.  She said she wanted to go with me.  What?!  I said no way.  I couldn't let her give up her whole night just because I have weird anxiety about driving and finding my way in new places.  But Michele said she'd love to sit outside my class and use the time to do her Bible study homework.

Let me pause a moment to talk about Michele.  She lives down the street from me.  We became friends last school year from seeing each other everyday at school drop off and pick up.  She has become one of my best friends.  When she was offered a job last spring, I started watching both of her kids each morning (Garrit and Abby) and just her daughter during the day.  She has the summers off since she works at a school, so we went swimming at her house nearly every day this summer.

Michele was born and raised Catholic.  She and her husband have not regularly attended church, but they enrolled their kids in CCD, which is a Wednesday night class for kids to learn about the Catholic faith and traditions.  Michele went with me to weekly Play Group (moms of little kids hanging out) at my church a few times before she started working.  In July, her kids went with mine to our church's Vacation Bible School.  Abby LOVED it but Garrit wasn't so sure.  Our VBS always ends with a celebration during the church service on the Sunday morning after VBS.  Michele and Abby came to our church that morning for the celebration, and it was their first time attending one of our church services.

I was offered the opportunity to teach a unique women's Bible study called Passion Pursuit (about how to enrich sexual, emotional, and spiritual intimacy in your marriage) starting back in July.  I brought one of the books to Michele's one day when we gathered to swim, and I asked if anyone was interested in joining me.  Michele took the bait.

So Michele came to my Wednesday night class starting in July.  She came to her first Sunday morning service on August 2 in order to watch her daughter perform her VBS songs.  Abby loved our church so much that Michele and Abby came back the next Sunday.  And the next.

Now back to my traffic class on that Monday, August 10.  I accepted Michele's offer to come with me because I am a 'Fraidy Cat.  She brought along her homework for our Wednesday night class.  She sat outside my Traffic Safety class for the full four hours and completed all of her weekly homework.  She enjoyed the peace and quiet and I enjoyed her companionship to help me during class breaks.

While we were driving home that night, Michele and I had a conversation that would change her life.  We just didn't know it yet.

We started talking about the Bible study homework and various spiritual matters.  I gathered my boldness and asked her if she could recall a time in her life when she knew she had received forgiveness and salvation.  She has so much knowledge of God from so much time in church, but I wanted to know if she had a relationship with God beyond head knowledge.  I told her that I can point to a specific day (although I don't remember the date) when I prayed a prayer of salvation and received forgiveness for my sins and started a lifelong journey with God.  She said she didn't have that moment.

She was stuck on one thing.  She had a couple sins she just didn't think God could forgive.  She wanted to get her mistakes made right before she came to God.  I told her that if she could do that, she wouldn't need Jesus' forgiveness through what He did on the cross.  She heard me and accepted what I had to say, but she was still processing it all.  I told her choppy pieces of Bible verses about how God removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west and He casts our sins into the ocean and he remembers our transgressions no longer.  We parked in her driveway and continued our discussion for a long time.  Eventually, we hugged and she went inside.  I could tell it was a lot for her to think about.  I went home feeling a little discouraged and wondering if I had said the right things.

I couldn't go to bed because I kept thinking about our conversation.  God put four Bible verses in my mind, so I looked them up and typed them out for Michele.  Of course, I made them in fun fonts with cute colors.  I printed them but forgot to give them to Michele.

We had our normal Wednesday night class with excellent discussion.  I'd like to add that at this point, Michele's marriage was already completely changed by the work she was doing because of our class.  Michele gave this study her all, and her husband saw changes in her and responded with his own growth and changes.  In fact, their marriage was so improved that two different women from our neighborhood approached me and said that they were astounded by what they saw in Michele's marriage.  These women have never even considered attending my church, but they asked to be invited to the next Passion Pursuit class because they want what they saw happening in Michele's marriage.

Back to That Week.  Monday was the traffic class.  Wednesday was Passion Pursuit.  Saturday evening was a block party in our neighborhood.  Michele and I both attended the block party.  We chatted with each other and with lots of neighbors.  Then I remembered that I had the printed out Bible verses for her, so I gave her the paper.  I just told her that these were the actual verses of some of the pieces of Scripture I had referenced in our previous conversation.  She was grateful and folded up the paper and stuck it in her purse.  Then my night derailed quickly because of a super scary event in which Nolan was with a friend and then the friend's mom dropped him off at our house when no on was home.  Nolan was terrified out of his mind but handled it by finding my iPad and texting three of my close friends asking for help.  They contacted me, and I rushed home to Nolan.  And I'm still working on getting over the whole event.  After I was reunited with Nolan, I broke out in what we referred to as leprosy.  It was a strange rash that two doctors couldn't identify or help treat.  We now know it's a viral rash, and I'm still waiting for it to clear up.

The next morning (Sunday, August 16), we went to church as usual, and Michele and Abby came, too.  Our pastor has been doing a summer sermon series called 8 Great Life-Changing Verses.  Each week he preaches on a verse that can change your life.  On this particular Sunday, his verse was 1 John 1:9.  I elbowed Michele and told her that verse was on the paper I had given her.  To my delight, she picked up her purse and pulled out the sheet of Bible verses I had made.  Sure enough, 1 John 1:9 was at the top of the list.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  1 John 1:9

God had Michele's attention.  As our pastor worked through his sermon, he referenced ALL of the other verses on the paper I had given Michele.  She just kept nodding, looking at me, and looking at her list.  I was giddy inside over watching God speak to Michele.  This verse addressed the very issue Michele had confessed to struggling with:  forgiveness for her sins.  At the end of the sermon, the pastor led us in an incredible time of prayer.  When we were done praying, Michele's face was covered in tears.  I gave her a tissue and a long hug.  My heart overflowed with love for this friend.  I was so grateful to literally watch God break through to her.

On that morning, Michele accepted the forgiveness that Jesus has been offering her.

There are a lot of churchy ways to say it.  Michele got saved.  She received salvation.  She gave her heart to Christ.  She claimed her free ticket to heaven.  She became a Christian.

What I know is that Michele is not the same as she was before that day.  She didn't instantly become a perfect person.  She didn't automatically understand everything.  She's still asking God to help her forgive herself for past choices, even though she knows that God has forgiven her.  She now looks at hardships and struggles in her life and asks how God wants her to handle them.  She downloaded our church's mobile app (you can get it in iTunes or GooglePlay) and signed up to have daily Bible verses and devotions sent to her phone.  She struggled to understand the Bible before, and now the Holy Spirit in her helps her to not only understand it but to also believe it and be changed by it.

Michele's story just keeps going.  The next Wednesday night class went a little late, and Michele and I were nearly the last two people to leave the church building.  We bumped into our pastor on the way, and we were able to tell him the whole story of how God used a conversation, four verses, and a sermon to draw Michele into Him.  Michele and I both cried when we got to tell our pastor that Michele had received salvation.  It still gets me every time!

Then Michele said to our pastor that she still just doesn't know how to pray.  Pastor said, "That's what my next sermon is about."  Michele's eyes were so wide as her jaw dropped.  She kept asking me if I had talked to our pastor about her or if I had asked him to preach directly to her.  I was able to tell her that it was totally God pursuing her.  Our pastor chose his verses for this series back in February.  No human could have orchestrated all of this.  God laid every piece into place in order to reach His precious daughter.  He wanted Michele to know that He is real and He is reaching out to her.

That next verse that helped Michele understand prayer was Hebrews 4:16.

"Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  Hebrews 4:16    

In case you're interested, here are the verses on the sheet I gave Michele:

If you want to watch any of the sermons in the 8 Great Verses series, click here.

This past Sunday was the last sermon in the 8 Great Verses series.  Wanna know what it was?  Romans 8:28:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28

It all rushed over me yet again.  That fresh sense of God in our midst.  The gratefulness that He not only works in us but also lets us participate in what He is doing in others.  He's so real, and He's so good.

He does work in all things for our good.  He worked in a car accident and a Traffic Safety class.  Satan tried to distract me with the Nolan Incident and my leprosy, but God's plans prevailed.  Nothing, nothing, NOTHING compares to the greatness of knowing God and interacting with him and participating in what He is doing.

Michele's son Garrit, who has refused to come to church until now, decided all on his own that he wanted to come with her and Abby this past Sunday.  We prayed for that precious boy all morning, and he had such a great time!  Michele and both of her kids will now be attending our church regularly.  We will keep praying for Michele's husband, and we will watch as God works in his heart to reach him in His timing.

Michele is one of my very best friends, and I always enjoy spending time with her.  But now all of our interactions have an undertone of joy because I can't look at her without remembering what God did over these last few weeks.  She had a rough morning today and sent me a text asking for a Bible verse to help her.  My spirit instantly said "Yes, God.  Thank you, God."  This is what I want.  Bringing my own focus back to God as I encourage a fellow believer to hold onto God in the midst of life's yuck.

I know this was a long story, but every single detail was important to me.  Because every single detail was important to God.

Jessica

Favorite Songs

Right before my sister's family moved, I spent a whole day with my niece Layla.  We packed and cleaned and ran errands.  We nicknamed ourselves the Dream Team because we got so much done together.

While we were driving from place to place, we discovered that we both love the song "The Broken Beautiful" by Ellie Holcomb.  Now every time I hear that song, I feel super happy remembering how much fun I had with Layla that day.  And then I feel sad that Layla is many miles away.

Songs are like that for me.  They are connected to memories and emotions for me.

I've been loving "Oceans" by Hillsong United for months now.   It has meaning to me personally, and I've heard from many of my favorite women about how God has used that song to speak to them.

There are so many songs that I love.  For today, I wanted to share with you three songs that currently make me move and groove and tap my steering wheel no matter what kind of day I'm having.

In no particular order...

"Fix My Eyes" by For King and Country

"My Lighthouse" by Rend Collective

"Start a Fire" by Unspoken

It's no coincidence that these are three of my favorite bands.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Jessica

Pillows, Pies, and Gingerbread Houses

I have had a very productive day so far.  Just ask my aching back.

First, I made some pillow covers.  I was sick of not having cute decorative pillows in our living room, and I wanted to add a seasonal touch.  I'm gonna try to write a tutorial on how I made the pillow covers out of a cheap Christmas blanket, but I'll give you a sneak peek now:

Second, Nora and I worked on the filling for the Caramel Apple Pies in Jars that I'm making for Christmas gifts.  Don't worry, the recipients of the pies already know they'll be receiving them.  In fact, they requested them.  Plus one of them is Jared's grandma, and she doesn't own an answering machine, let alone a computer on which to read my blog.

This is the third year in a row that I've made pies in jars for Jared's dad and grandma for their Christmas gifts.  You can read my first post about it here.  I got the original idea from Our Best Bites.  I make half of the pies Chicken Pot Pie using this recipe from Our Best Bites.  I make the other half of the pies Caramel Apple Pie using this recipe from AllRecipes.com.

Each year I've increased the number of pies I make because they seem to return all their empty jars to me earlier in the year.  This year I'm making the most yet.  I already made 24 jars of Chicken Pot Pie.

 
Now I'm working on 24 jars of Caramel Apple Pie.  Last night I made 4 batches of pie crust dough and stuck them in the fridge.  Then I peeled two bags of Granny Smith apples (that's a lot of apples!).  I used a vegetable peeler, started at the top of the apple, and peeled in a spiral until I ended at the bottom.  I put all of the peeled apples into a large container filled with cold water and lemon juice and let them hang out in the fridge overnight.  This is such a big job that I'm trying to break it up and work ahead as much as possible.

This morning I chopped all of the apples.  By hand.  Into little pieces.  TWENTY cups of chopped apples.  My hands are now misshapen claws.  Next year I need to look into getting one of those handy gadgets that peel, core, and spiral cut apples.  Then I'd just have to cut them into smaller pieces and call it done.

I added the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and flour to the diced apples to complete the filling.

Later I'll roll out the pie crust and line the jars (which are washed and drying on my counter).  Then I'll fill them with layers of apple filling, taffy, and caramel bits.  Then I'll top them off with a circle of pie crust (with a cute little heart-shaped hole cut out to let steam out when they bake) and the jar lids and rings.  The finishing touch will be the cute labels.

After I cleaned up the apple mess and made Nora's lunch, I got to work on my third major tasks:  preparing gingerbread houses for some family fun tonight.

*Update:  I wrote this yesterday afternoon, but then Blogger malfunctioned and wouldn't let me publish it.  I ended up finishing all of the apple pies, so I now have 48 yummy jars in my freezer ready to be given at Christmas gatherings.  We also had tons of fun decorating our gingerbread houses.  It's such a fun tradition to do as a family.  Here's a look at our finished houses:

Griffin

Nora (She got hot, took off her clothes, got cold, and wrapped up in a blanket.  I have no explanation for her hair.)

Nolan

Jared and I decorated the last gingerbread house together.

And now we're off to play in the freshly fallen snow!

Jessica

Christmas Songs

I love Christmas songs.  Give me anything by Bing Crosby and/or Fred Astaire, and I'm a happy girl.

I grew up listening to Christmas songs by Amy Grant and the Jackson 5.  In junior high I became enamored with Mariah Carey's Christmas album.  Then came the Christmas CD by Boyz II Men.  That's right.  I rocked that.

I also love getting to sing carols in church.  Seriously, that moment in O Holy Night when everyone belts out "Faaaaall on your knees..." gets me every time.

These days I am almost always listening to either the Christmas station on Pandora or to my local Christian radio station, which plays all Christmas music starting the day after Thanksgiving.  I listen to the station, WCIC, on the app TuneIn Radio on my phone, but they also have their own WCIC app available for iPhone or Android.

I get to hear a lot more Christmas classics on Pandora, but I love hearing the Christian songs on WCIC. 

Now, I'll admit that I don't love every Christian artist's cover of classic Christmas songs.  Nor do I enjoy every original Christmas song that pops up on WCIC.  I won't name those songs here. :)

I have picked up a few favorites from Christian artists over the last few holiday seasons.  I wanted to share them here in case you haven't heard them.

"Welcome To Our World" by Chris Rice:

"Baby Boy" by For King and Country:

"Feliz Navidad" by Unspoken (a new favorite this year):

And two of my very favorites...

"Peace on Earth" by Casting Crowns:

"Jesus, Savior" by Chris August (The verses of this song are oddly written.  For example, they rhyme the word girl with the word carpenter.  But I just love the chorus so much!  "Our salvation has a name"...Amazing!):

So if you drive by me and see me singing and dancing in my car, you can bet that one of the above songs is most likely on my radio.

I hope you're getting in the Christmas spirit in your own way.  The music does it for me.  Believe it or not, some fellow holiday shoppers have added to my joy. 

Yesterday I had to run into the grocery store for two items for our dinner.  I was in a hurry, and all of the check-out lanes had lines.  I took a breath and got in line behind a cute older woman.  She glanced back and saw that I only had a couple of items, and she offered to let me go in front of her.  I gratefully accepted her offer.  After I moved up in front of her, there were two cute older men in front of me, and they were just finishing loading all of their many items onto the belt.  They also offered to let me go in front of them.  The worker hadn't started scanning their items, so I gratefully accepted their offer as well.  I was done checking out in less than 60 seconds.  I warmly thanked them all again, and the woman said, "Of course.  It's Christmas time!"

Today Nora and I went out in the painful cold to head to Walmart for a few Christmas gifts.  I got distracted looking at the holiday coffee cream flavors, and Nora and I ended up in a bit of a tickle fight right there in the dairy section.  I was just so happy to be out Christmas shopping and spending time with my girl, and we had fun together.  I became aware of a woman standing near us.  I turned to her and said to let me know if I was in her way, and she said she just stopped to enjoy my daughter's giggles.  We had a very pleasant exchange, and then we parted ways as she told us to have a very Merry Christmas.

It's been a crazy week.  A heavy week.  An emotional week.  Who knows if I'll even have time to tell you about half of it.  I'm so grateful to end this week on a high note, giggling with my daughter near the Walmart milks and exchanging pleasantries with strangers.  And rocking out to my favorite festive tunes.

Jessica

Headaches and Kindness

Dear Lord, thank you that I don't have a headache right this minute.

I actually prayed that prayer today.  I've been battling a whopper of a headache for more than 3 days.  At times I felt barely functional.  And my stomach forgot that it's been under control for months, and it's been acting like it did last year (pain and nausea).

Sometimes little annoyances and inconveniences can serve as a reminder to be thankful for not having them once they're gone.

In addition to being thankful that I was able to eat lunch today, I've also had the privilege of witnessing some kindness. 

Wednesday mornings are when I run most of my errands because the boys are at school and Nora is at her Wednesday morning preschool program at a local church.  "Running errands" doesn't usually go hand-in-hand with experiencing kindness.  Usually, there are cranky sales clerks, rude shoppers, and annoying drivers.

Those usual folks showed up here and there this morning, but I also happened to notice a couple people who went out of their way to be kind.

At Walmart, there was an elderly woman maneuvering very slowly in front of me.  She happened upon a Walmart employee and asked her a question.  I moved on with my shopping but later noticed the employee slowly moving alongside the elderly shopper, helping her find exactly what she needed.  Most workers would have given mumbled directions and walked off.  This woman stuck with the shopper and blessed both her and me as an onlooker.

It was raining when I picked up Nora, which wasn't a big deal to me since Nora and I had jackets.  However, there was another mother there who had multiple little kids with her, and her hands were more than full.  I noticed a man who works at the nearby funeral home walking with her holding an umbrella over her and her children as they crossed the street and walked (at the pace of little kiddos) to their car.

How awesome to see people putting someone else's needs before their own.  

I had my camera with me so I could take pictures of my little ballerina at her Halloween parade this morning:

After the parade and after the errands and kindness, I ran home to get a quick lunch.  There are a couple of trees near the boys' school (a couple blocks from our house) that catch my eye every single day.  They're just so pretty.  Fall is my favorite season, and I just love to watch the trees change colors.

Since I had my camera in the car, I pulled over and rolled down my window (despite the rain) so I could snap a couple quick pictures of the gorgeous trees.  These aren't exactly frame-quality, but at least I got to capture the gorgeous color.  Just another little blessing in my day.

Here's to celebrating the little blessings in an ordinary day!

Jessica

Ham Loaves

Before I became a stay-at-home mom, I worked at a bank for five years.  My co-workers and boss were fantastic, and we were like a family.

We used to have these amazing pot lucks.  Not the kind where most people bring store-bought cookies, a bag of chips, or a 2-liter of soda.  No, no.  I'm talkin' about gatherings where every single person brings their family-favorite, time-tested recipes.

The food was always so good that we just got used to bringing our recipe cards every time we had a pot luck because we knew everyone would want a copy of each recipe.

Many of the recipes I inherited from my work family have become favorites amongst my actual family.  I still smile when I make them, remembering my old friends.

I want to share one of these recipes with you.  I just recently made this one and remembered how good it is.  These are called Ham Loaves.  The word "loaf" doesn't exactly make my mouth water, but just wait until you try these.

Start with some saltine crackers.

Grind 'em up in a food processor.  Transfer 'em to a big bowl.

Throw a pound of ham cubes into the food processor.

Yep.  Grind 'em up.

Dump the ham on top of the cracker crumbs in the bowl.

 

Add 1/2 pound of ground pork.  Wonder what you're going to do with the other half pound of ground pork since it comes in 1 pound rolls.

Add 1/2 pound ground beef (mine is packaged in 1/3 lb. patties, so I needed 1.5 patties).

Add two eggs.

Salt & peppa

Add milk.

Mix it all together with clean hands. Try not to compress the mixture too much.

Use a measuring cup to scoop out 1/2 cup portions.

Form each 1/2 cup portion into a little loaf.  Arrange loaves in a 9x13 pan.

In a small saucepan combine brown sugar,

dry mustard,

and water.  Bring to a boil.  Try to take a picture of boiling mixture for your blog post and accidentally let it boil over, filling your house with smoke and an awful smell and leaving an unscrubbable mess on your cooktop at your new house.  Oh wait, that's just me.

Pour the sauce over the ham loaves.  Bake at 350.

20 minutes later, pull the pan out of the oven and baste each loaf with the sauce.

20 minutes later, baste again.  The sauce will be slightly thicker each time you baste.

20 minutes later...you know.

By the last basting, you'll have to tip the pan and draw up the thick sauce from the corner in order to baste the loaves.

Finally done after an hour and a half of baking!

These are so tasty.  I don't make them very often because they're time consuming.  Plus I don't regularly have ground pork and ham on hand.  Trust me though, your taste buds will thank you for making them!

Here's the recipe:

Ham Loaves

1 lb. ham (either chop into rough cubes or buy ham cubes), ground in food processor
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 cup cracker crumbs (28 saltines)

Mix all ingredients well.  Form into 1/2 cup loaves.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours.  Baste every 20-30 minutes with sauce (recipe below).

Sauce:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tsp. dry mustard

Bring to a boil.  Pour over ham loaves.  Baste loaves with sauce throughout cooking.

Enjoy!

Jessica

Teacher Questionnaire

*This was originally posted last year.  I just updated it to include a link to the free printable Teacher Questionnaire (colored version) at the bottom.  Enjoy!

Today we have Meet the Teacher with Nolan's first grade teacher.  This will give us an opportunity to find Nolan's new classroom, learn a little about his teacher, and formulate expectations for how this school year will go.

I also want to give his teacher a questionnaire to find out all of her favorites.  That way I will have a better idea of what to get her for Christmas, her birthday, and Teacher Appreciation.

Last year I used this printable questionnaire because it is just so cute.  However, I wanted to include a few more questions this year.  I searched the internet for other teacher questionnaires, and I combined questions from four different ones to make my own comprehensive grill-the-teacher sheet.

I just typed mine in Microsoft Word.  Oh, how I wish I had graphic design skills to make mine as cute as the one I used last year!  The best I could do was use different fonts and a few colors.

I also made a black only version:

*Update:  I think I figured out how to link to a free printable. :)  Click here to print the colored version of the Teacher Questionnaire.  Let me know if it works!

Happy new school year!

Jessica

Happy Things

I'm a girl who gets excited about little things.  I may sometimes get upset about small details, but often a simple act/item/gesture turns my whole mood around.  The last few days have been filled with these small but joy-producing moments.

I recently purchased a discounted membership to Sam's through LivingSocial.  We've never had a Sam's membership before, and this deal included the membership for myself and my husband, a $20 Sam's gift card, and three coupons for free items from the store.

Jared and I got a date on Saturday, and we first went out to dinner.  My dinner was so good!  Seriously.  As in I-can't-stop-talking-about-how-good-this-is good.  Jared fully enjoyed his meal as well.  Plus we just beat the dinner rush, and the restaurant was full with a 40-minute waiting period when we left.

Enjoying a super tasty (and healthy!!) dinner that we didn't have to cook or clean up was enough to make us super happy.  Then add in the fact that we were in and out of the restaurant in record time with plenty of date time to spare, and I already felt the date was quite successful.

We decided to go check out Sam's after our meal.  Yes, we chose to grocery shop on our date.  We are lame.  It's okay because we both got a kick out of finding good deals and making fun of giant vats of mayonnaise.

We browsed and found some great foods for our family.  It makes a mama happy to have things like cheap 100% juice juice boxes for kids' lunches or the world's largest bag of Craisins for healthy after-school snacks.

We even got to use our $20 gift card when we checked out.  Plus we used the coupon for a free 16" take-and-bake pizza, which we took home for an easy Sunday dinner (don't worry...I ate a tiny sliver and then healthier foods for my dinner). 

This weekend I also discovered that I finally broke through my weight plateau and dropped below my pre-Nolan-pregnancy weight.  I was nearly resigned to just stay at the weight I am, but now I see a glimmer of hope that I can keep working to get down to my goal.  It took 2.5 months to break through this plateau!

The last two nights have been filled with kids waking up, having night terrors and bad dreams, coming into our bed, and needing us to get up and get them things.  We're tired.

This morning was just one of those mornings.  Griffin and Nora spoke not one positive word.  They bickered with every breath.  I felt the physical pang of dropping Nolan off at school and wishing with everything in me that I could keep him with me.

I chose today to actually straighten my hair and add big curly waves.  And it drizzled rain.  Do you know what happens to my straightened hair when it rains?  It becomes Monica-in-Barbados hair, for you Friends fans.  If you don't know that reference, just think of an image that requires the use of the words frizzy, fuzzy, and uncontrolled.

But my gloomy, lame Monday was turned around in an instant.

I had recently ordered a small tote at a friend's Thirty-One party, and she came to deliver it to me.  It was in a large bag, which I thought was odd.  In the bag was a little surprise.

In fact, the surprise was, in my opinion, the most fantastic item in the entire Thirty-One catalog.  I had fallen embarrassingly in love with this item, but it was only available to the hostess of the party.  And my friend bought it for me!!

And she had my last name embroidered on it!!

This thing is AWESOME!  It holds TWO 9x13 pans, it's insulated to keep the dishes hot/cold, the top compartment has a really cool way of being zipped away when you only need to carry one 9x13, and it even has a zippered pocket to hold utensils.  Oh, and it comes with adorable matching serving utensils!

And did I mention it's made of my two favorite fabrics that Thirty-One carries right now??

Here's a picture of the set from the Thirty-One website:

I just kept walking past it on my kitchen counter all afternoon and making giddy noises.

So, to recap:

• I love a great deal
• Lame dates with my husband can be super fun
• I like free pizza
• I've been working triple-time just to lose a few pounds
• I'm tired
• I miss my son when he's at school
• My kids fight
• I have super fuzzy hair
• And I get very happy about things like pretty casserole carriers with matching serving spoons

I hope you find a happy thing today, too!

Jessica

JJ Heller & More

I've mentioned before that music has a big impact on me.  It's part of my worship, it encourages me, and I often sense God speaking to me through songs.

I first fell in love with JJ Heller about two years ago when my grandma was very ill and we knew her days on earth were numbered.  There's always a specific song that God uses for each difficult patch in my life.  The song for that time (preparing to lose my Grandma) was "Your Hands" by JJ Heller.

My grandma was a rock, a never-ending source of love and stability.  She had overcome leukemia and breast cancer.  She had Alzheimer's, COPD (lung disease), and cancer in her lungs and brain.  And she was still a reflection of light and life.  God gave me as much time as possible to come to terms with her mortality before he actually called her home.

But I still knew that this world--my world--would never be the same without her.

So the words of JJ Heller's song spoke directly to my heart at that time:

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn't there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That you would take my pain away
You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crooked lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

When you walked upon the earth
You healed the broken, lost and hurt
I know you hate to see me cry
One day you will set all things right
Yeah, one day you will set all things right

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

Your hands that shaped the world
Are holding me
They hold me still
Your hands that shaped the world
Are holding me
They hold me still

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave you
When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave
I never leave your hands

If you would like to listen to this beautiful song, click here:

Several months ago, a friend sent me another JJ Heller song:  "Someday."  This was the same friend who asked me about my Peace vs. Fear ratio.  Reading the lyrics will tell you why this friend sent me this song.

One day you'll feel the sun
Warming your callused skin
The ropes will come undone
No more wars left to win

Someday my dearest friend
Someday though I don't know when
Oooo you will live in peace.

Your battered heart will soar
Your wounds turned into wings
No one will keep the score
You wouldn't care anyway

Someday my dearest friend
Someday though I don't know when
Oooo you will live in peace.

May you see redemption
On this side of heaven
May you see redemption
On this side of heaven
May you see redemption
On this side of heaven
My friend

Someday my dearest friend
Someday though I don't know when
Oooo you will live

Someday my dearest friend
Someday though I don't know when
Oooo you will live in peace

You can listen to that song here:

I got to thinking about how much these two songs mean to me, so I typed "JJ Heller" into my Pandora app to find related music.  I was not disappointed!

I have been loving listening to the JJ Heller station on Pandora when I exercise or when I'm working on crafts or chores or cleaning.  I wanted to share a few of my favorite songs that have popped up.  Many are old favorites I'd forgotten about, and a couple are new.  {Click on the song titles to listen to the songs on YouTube.}

"The Valley Song" by Jars of Clay

"If You Want Me To" by Ginny Owens

"I Am" by Jill Phillips

"Esther" by Esterlyn

I am sharing these songs because I know that a couple of you are currently feeling your world shake beneath you, are walking through a valley, or are otherwise in need of peace.  These songs stir my spirit, and I'm hoping they speak to you as well.  Sometimes it's soothing just to hear someone else put into words what you're already feeling.  These songs also encourage me because they remind me that struggles are part of this life, but God's presence never wavers.  

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

"For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again."  Proverbs 24:16a

"Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."  Psalm 55:22

"The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down."  Psalm 145:15

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

Hang in there, friends!

Jessica

Book Review: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I recently told you about my trip to the library.  I checked out the book Look Me in the Eye and wrote a review of it.  Then the author of the book commented on my blog!  Twice!  Just thought that was worth mentioning one more time. :)

Anyhow, while I was at the library looking at the book sale, I spotted the book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.  I had watched the movie last year and absolutely loved it.  You can read about that here.

I have a rule about movies based on books:  I always read the book first before seeing the movie (never the movie before the book).  However, I loved this movie SO much that I decided it would be worth reading the book.

Let me tell you:  it is so worth reading this book!  This might be the best thing I've ever bought for $2.

Part of the synopsis of the book on Wikipedia reads as follows:

The main protagonist of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a nine-year-old boy named Oskar Schell. Oskar Schell's father Thomas Schell dies in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, before the narrative begins. While looking through his father's closet, Oskar finds a key in a small envelope inside a vase, on the outside of the envelope the word "Black" is written in the top left corner. Curious, Oskar sets off on a mission to contact every person in New York City with the last name Black, in alphabetical order, in order to find the lock to the key his father left behind. The novel also tells a separate narrative that eventually converges with the main story through a series of letters written by Oskar's grandfather to Oskar's father and by Oskar's grandmother to Oskar himself, based on real life events.

There were a lot of differences between the book and the movie, and I have to say I prefer the book's version of this tale.  I had to adjust to the unique writing style in this book, and at times I had trouble following exactly who was talking.  I didn't mind using a little extra brain power to follow this incredible story.

In the movie Oskar says he was tested for Asperger's, but there is no such mention in the book.  I still connected with Oskar in a way that I probably wouldn't have if I did not have a son with Asperger's.  I think the author's portrayal of Oskar gives any reader more appreciation for people who are quirky or different in any way. 

Not only did this book make me cry on many occasions, but it also made me smile and laugh out loud over and over.  There were admittedly a few parts that I had trouble believing (mostly involving Oskar's grandparents), but I didn't let them detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

This book now holds the distinction of being my current favorite fiction book.

If you loved the movie, read this book.  If you haven't seen the movie, read this book.  If you didn't like the movie, well, I suppose I leave it up to you to read the book or not.

Jessica

Wasgij?

I am a puzzle lover.  I love puzzles.  Jared says they let me feel like I'm making order out of chaos.  Sure, I'll buy that psychological theory.  All I know is that they are soothing, entertaining, challenging, and enjoyable.

I prefer 750-1,000 piece puzzles.  I recently bought a 1,500 piece puzzle, but I haven't put it together yet because I don't have anywhere big enough to do it!

Several years ago, Jared bought me a super fantastic puzzle for a Christmas present.  It's called a Wasgij.  That's "jigsaw" backwards.

I'll tell you why it's special in a minute.

This year Jared found another Wasgij for me, and I thought I'd share in case any of you are fellow puzzle lovers who would enjoy a new challenge.

Here's the front of my newest Wasgij:

The picture on the front of the box is not what the puzzle looks like.  You can see this question in the upper right corner that says, "What's the BIG surprise?"  So the people on the beach in this picture are seeing something surprising, and I have to put together the puzzle to see what they're seeing.  Make sense?

Here's the box picture again:

Spoiler alert!  Here's the completed puzzle:

Isn't that fun?  Well, it is for a nerd like me.  You can see some things included in the perspective of the puzzle that were on the box front.  For example, the box front has two oblivious people in red and yellow striped chairs.  The puzzle is from a perspective directly behind them, so their chairs are included in the puzzle.  The same is true for the woman in the red and blue striped swim suit and the woman in the pink swim suit.  These pictures help as you first start to put the puzzle together and figure out exactly where stuff goes.

I have two more helpful tips for puzzle fun.

1.  I use an old rectangular framed bulletin board as my puzzle board.  It's large enough for every 1,000 piece puzzle I've ever done.  It can be set on a table, coffee table, couch, or wherever you like to do puzzles.  I even set it in my lap a lot when I'm sitting on the couch.  Then when the kids wake up or company comes over, I can easily move the board to another room.

2.  When I am ready to put away a completed puzzle, I always remove the edge pieces first and put them in a sandwich baggie.  That way if I ever want to do that puzzle again (I actually rarely repeat a puzzle), I already have the pieces sorted.  I really don't enjoy finding all the edge pieces, and I certainly don't want to repeat the process if I don't have to.

Anyone want to trade used puzzles with me?  :)

Jessica