Good Morning May!

Mornings=Pondering on life

Good Morning May! 

Although I am not really ready for you I do have a few requests.......can we please work together and make this an awesome month?  I'm thinking healthy eating is in order.....you know lots of fruits and veggies. What about an extra dose of Super Hero will power???  And what about great weather?  That would be amazing.....cool mornings, pleasant days and maybe not so humid.  Can we have easy days with the boys,  accomplishing every task on my list and no arguing!! And what about weekends filled with FUN and no drama?  No heartache this month!  And absolutely no surprises!!  Please May be good to me.

Is that all too much to ask??  I know May can't do these things for me.  I just have to set my mind to them and DO IT!

If you follow me on Instagram I shared my thoughts about life yesterday.

Pondering life as I do most mornings....life is, and never has been, what I expect it to be.  That is wonderful and at times maddening!  I don't have all the answers but I do have some.  And know without a shadow of a doubt Who has them all.  Those I do have answers to I have learned the hard way.  This morning as I see my daylilies about to bloom and anxiously await their show I can rest knowing my faith tells me no matter what lies ahead of me God is already there.    

 As I start a new month (which is AWESOME!!) and am anxiously awaiting what will come I CAN rest.  I can be at peace, rejoice in the fact that The Almighty, my Almighty, God is taking care of every single detail.  He is working it all out for His Good not mine.  And YOU can have that too!!!!  It's not easy this thing called life.  I get kicked in the gut DAILY!!!  And that is exactly when I call on and hold especially tight to my Heavenly Father.

Maybe life is just peachy keen, but something seems to be missing.  Maybe that is the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart.  Listen He is talking to you.  Be still and have a chat with Him.  He is waiting.......

 I speak from the heart friends.  My words are all kooky at times, but He knows what I mean and knows my heart.  And really that is all that matters.  I hope my humble thoughts speak to you today and hopefully lift you up as we begin a new month in this life.

Good Morning May.  

Thankful Thursday-Strength and Freedom

Lots to be thankful for today and this week.  Here are just a few that are close to my heart.

First up during my Bible study/devotion time this week I came across these words...........

"We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life-those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration.  We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength".

Oh the mountains are beautiful.  And the sunrises are a sight to see, but it is the everyday--the good, the bad and the ugly---all the changes and the times we never planned for that make us strong.  As selfish humans we want to stay on the mountain. 
"The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain".
God gave us those amazing moments of inspiration to step back and realize they are not the everyday...they are unique and meant for something in God's purpose.

*Source-My Utmost For His Highest-Oswald Chambers
Day-October 1


Number two-my Dad had a little heart procedure on Tuesday morning.  Everything went well and he is home now recovering.  Praise God!  The boys went along and stay the whole time.  There were times they were bored, a little too loud and a little cranky, but they made it through the whole time.  Life lessons are important.  Children are stronger than we think.  And I feel they should at least be exposed to all life lessons.....even if it is for just a little while.  It is what makes them stronger and able to endure life in itself.  The best part of the day was to see them standing next to my Dad's bed and all three of them giving the thumbs up.

And number three-as hard as many days are with homeschooling the boys nothing beats "spur of the moment" learning.  As we were standing in the front yard watching squirrels devour hedgehog galls we heard what sounded like a peacock on the next street.  We wanted to run!  But it had been raining and we were all still in pjs.  So I did what any other mother would do.....I ran in the house grabbed my keys (and shoes!), jumped in the car (with the boys) and we were off searching for a big bird.  We drove around for a few minutes and saw nothing.  Well actually we saw lots, but no peacock and no sign of a big bird.  Homeschooling allows this kind of learning and I am thankful for that freedom.

 

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday-Seeing Beauty

I find it hard to go a day (a minute or hour) without taking in beauty.  Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, forms and textures.  It can be a person, a place, a thing, an object--whatever you see with your eyes.  It can also be an action where you see beauty.

I also find it hard not to pick up my pitiful camera or phone to snap a picture of what I see.  The saying usually goes in my case......beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. 

I squealed with delight as I opened the boys' blinds and saw this mushroom in the flower bed.  I quickly grabbed my camera and called the boys.  I do this often.....squeal and call anyone around to see what I see.  They come running, but most of the time they do not see what I see.

The Boys-"Mom, it's just a mushroom".
Me-"I know, but look at the details God put into creating it!  And the way the sun is shining on it!"

They pay notice, but it is just not as exciting to them.  I will keep calling them and I will continue to take pictures.

So here is the beauty I have seen over the past couple of days.

 

 

I see beauty in learning too. 

I see God's hand in this child's ability to read without really ever being taught.  His love and desire for picking up a book to learn is beautiful.  And writing stories too!

 

I see beauty in this child as his reading improves.  I hear beauty in every little words that flows from his mouth.  It's like angels singing sometimes!! And it is beautiful to this Momma.  So are his awesome Lego "longest 18-wheeler trucks" too.

I have always loved pictures of my sweet boys from behind.  I like to think about where they are off to as I go back and look at such pictures.  Here I see beauty as they are off to a class to LEARN about leaves.

They may not remember every single thing, but to hear them explain what they learned (saw, heard, tasted, felt, etc.), AHHHH, that is beauty.

 

Are you seeing (or even looking for) beauty today?

Thankful Thursday-Sunflowers

 

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to plant sunflowers.  I finally got around to it with seeds this year.  I wasn't sure if they would have time to bloom, but I have been pleasantly surprised!  These are not the BIG tall ones like I was wanting, but they are an amazing sight to my eyes.  And a treasured blessing! 

A sign of hope and a flower I will surely plant every year. 

 

I could hardly wait for the sun to come up this morning so I could find my gifts.  It was a delight to see God's creation!  They made me smile and were smiling back at me.  I try to make a point of going outside every morning to see what new has come from all of nature. 

It reminds me of the newness God gives us each day.  And if we start our day out with the Lord and in prayer (I saw a sign in front of a church the other day......a day hemmed in prayer seldom unravels) things seem to go much better. 

 

 

 

Happy Thursday y'all!

Thankful Thursday-Light

 

The sun has not caught me in bed in fifty years. ~Thomas Jefferson

Thankful Thursday-Simple Roasted Chicken

I am thankful for the simple roasted chicken we had for supper last night.  It was our first chicken from the pasture raised chickens we butchered on Saturday.

When cooking if I want to taste the "star of the show" I prefer to use less in seasoning.  So for roasting this chicken we used just a few ingredients.  We were all anxious to see if the taste would be different than our usual nasty grocery store chicken. 

Brant and Matthew without a doubt thought it tasted different.  I thought the breast tasted different.  Ryan just ate.  Funny thing was I am usually freaked out by chickens from the store.  They are nasty, slimy and have a weird gross smell.  As I took the chicken out yesterday afternoon to wash it I did not bat an eye at handling it.  Maybe because I knew where it came from, what it had been eating it's whole life and because I had just handled it on Saturday.  Also it did not stink and did not have that disgusting sliminess factory raised chickens usually do. 

Even if there were not a big difference in taste, we all agreed that because of the chicken's life, the way it was raised and what it ate, it is all around better for us.

Ingredients: 
1 (5 pound or smaller ) Roasting Chicken
salt (eyeball)
pepper (eyeball)
1 lemon quartered (surprisingly this gave off a strong taste.  Will omit next time)
3-4 garlic cloves
1 onion quartered
3-4 sprigs of thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Allow the chicken to get to room temp for about 30 minutes.
Remove inside giblets and such. Rinse the bird under cold water.  Pat dry with a paper towel. sprinkle the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper.  Stuff the cavity with the lemon, garlic, onion, and thyme.  Rub the bird all over with butter.  Then season with salt and pepper.  Using kitchen twine tie the legs together and tuck the wings under.  Or cut small slit in the excess skin and tuck legs in the slit.  Place the chicken in the pan and roast for 1 1/2 hours or until golden and crispy and the juices run clear.  You can use a meat thermometer and check for doneness it should read 160.  Let the bird rest for about 15 minutes before you carve it.

Serve with homemade mashed potatoes of course!  And gravy made from the drippings of the chicken.  And go ahead and stem some broccoli.....easiest recipe ever for broccoli-add just about an inch and half of water to a medium size pot.  Add 1 teaspoon of sugar (yes, sugar); bring to a boil.  Toss in cut up broccoli trees (the boys call them little trees when they are cut up), place lid on pot and let steam for 8 minutes.  DONE!  And super delicious.

I just gave you a whole meal idea.  Enjoy! 

I am off to find more chicken recipes.  You'll be seeing lots of them here.  Do you have a favorite chicken recipe?  Leave me a comment.  Share a link.  If you have a blogged about it let me know, I'll share it here.

And come back tomorrow for FUN Friday/FUN Weekend.  I 'll give a recipe and craft for this up coming Memorial Day Weekend.