Faith

"It is not really a question of trust in God...for we want very much to trust him; it is really a question of our ultimate belief in his existence and his providence, and it demands the purest act of faith." (He Leadeth Me, 78)

If I believe that God IS, then what do I have to fear? What cannot be overcome?

Read and re-read

I read through He Leadeth Me more quickly than I had planned. Curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to see what happened to Fr. Ciszek. So, on the second read-through, mostly at my 1am adoration hour, I jot down in my journal the quotes/points that strike me so that later in the day/week I can re-read them for inspiration whilst I am on the "front lines" of life as wife and mother.

This is what I have been reading over and over this past week:

"As surely as man begins to trust in his own abilities, so surely has he taken the first step on the road to ultimate failure. And the greatest grace God can give such a man is to send him a trial he cannot bear with his own powers and then sustain him with his grace so he may endure to the end and be saved" (71).

Now doesn't THAT his you like a ton of bricks?

Just Some Pictures

Breakfast around here is a casual affair.

Irish Soda Bread--part of last night's Irish fare.

Joshua puts on Daddy's hats any time he can get ahold of them. Pretty sweet.

Not to be outdone, Miss Clowny has a turn.
(Also in this picture: evidence that small ones + stainless steel appliances = possible Windex shortage.)

Yes, Grace, you're adorable too.

Onion Baby Mama

Paul has thus-ly named me.


I'm the one who started calling them my "onion babies", jokingly, but I DID plant them lovingly in their flats, and I DID nurse them along for 6 weeks, and I DID get sort of attached to them and obsessed with getting them the maximum amount of sunlight once they had 'hatched', carrying them downstairs for the morning (east window with ledge the little shrimpys can't reach) and up for the afternoon (south window). Watering them, trimming them, singing them to sleep...okay just kidding about that last one.

Yesterday, it was like sending them off to college, I planted them in THE GARDEN amidst trampling toddler feet (I think you can see that one of the ones pictured above fell prey to said feet) and let them go....

Well not completely. I visit them every day. I think the term is "helicopter mom".

...and the cake itself

I was going to type out the recipe I used for the "Breakfast Cake" I made but realizing that God wants me to use my time differently (read: Joshua is screaming)---click here for the link to Chocolate Chip Banana Snack Cake.

With the following substitutions:

For the flour I used half all-purpose flour and half white whole wheat flour.
I used 1 cup of sugar instead of 2 cups.
I used plain whole milk yogurt instead of sour cream.
I used less chocolate chips. You could use none, but it was tasty with.

That's it! Enjoy!

Cake for Breakfast

Want a fun way to liven up your morning with little people? Give them a whole piece of cake and a fork and sit back and observe. (Note, in case you're wondering what kind of mother gives her children cake for breakfast: No, this is not your Bill-Cosby-chocolate-cake for-breakfast cake. It is a "breakfast cake" that includes things such as whole wheat flour, less sugar, and bananas. )


Grace carefully tried to cut off one bite at a time from the hunk by sticking her fork straight down in to it. She succeeded a few times, too. Good work Grace. This is her saying, "Mmmmmmmm."


Joshua's method, on the other hand, was to obliterate the cake by various means and then pick up the pieces. He missed his mouth several times. And let me just say that we have no qualms about eating cake off of the floor.

With all the personality indicators out there, I'm sure cake-eating methods must be a fair way to assess something-or-other. I'm happy to say that their methods seemed gender appropriate to me. To be perfectly honest, I was just doing it for my own amusement.

SWITCH GEARS

Here is a great question posed by my lenten reading, He Leadeth Me:

Have I allowed the luxury of feeling sorry for myself to cloud my vision and prevent me from seeing my current situation in the eyes of God?

This question is so helpful for my emotional self. There are many days when I wonder if I will ever get anything done or have any time to breathe. Recent illness has made mothering an even more intense job. This book is really helping me see myself and my life in a different light. Each day, each moment comes from the hands of God and serves a purpose in his providence.

That's all for now. God has sent a sweet boy with stinky pants over to me to reveal His will for the moment--a diaper change.

My Encouragement for Today

"Accept unquestioningly and respond lovingly to all the situations of the day as truly sent by God..." (He Leadeth Me, 39).

I'm reading this book to aid my lenten quest for more of JESUS in my life (and less of ME). I highly recommend it. Fr. Walter J. Ciszek, S.J., spent 23 years in Soviet prisons and Siberian labor camps. He learned A LOT, needless to say, about life and God.

Have a wonderful day!