Happy at Home: In an Instant

 

It's funny how your life can change in an instant.

 

One week ago I was the proud mama of three beautiful children. And even more importantly, I was content with that number. The Z Three was beginning to roll comfortably off the tip of my tongue, without the familiar ache of wanting 'more' that had been known to follow in previous months. I was happy. I had made peace with the family that God had blessed me with.

 

One week ago I was dreaming of tiny little foster babies. We were in the process of switching foster care agencies (the transfer to be completed this very week), and I was counting down the days until we would receive 'the call'. The call that would change our lives for a few months, days, or maybe years. Or possibly even forever. And I was excited to feel called to the ministry. I felt as though God had been preparing me for that calling for years and I was ready to serve. We all were.

 

One week ago Boss and I were planning a ten year wedding anniversary cruise for next May. Sans children. We went on a cruise for our honeymoon and we thought it would make for a nice ten year tradition. We were excited to reach such a big milestone in our marriage (a whole decade!) and we somewhat felt as if we were approaching that next stage in life. The stage with more sleep and less diapers. And we were content.

 

One week ago I was practicing the art of learning to be happy at home. It might seem sad that one would have to practice something like that. But it's where I was. Because the truth is, even though it was exhausting me, I enjoyed all of the running around. Running around, being out in the world, it was exciting! So much more exciting than cooking, and cleaning, and laundry, and wiping little noses. So I made it a habit to keep myself busy. To keep myself distracted from the mundane. But slowly, over the past few months, God's Word had been nudging me back towards home. But one week ago I was still fighting it. So I was planning trips and prepping for foster care. I was doing all of this from home, but in my mind I was still running. I was home in body, but I was not home in spirit. My heart and wants were still elsewhere.

 

And then six days ago, my life changed in a single instant.

 

We had not been trying to conceive, so I had not been paying attention to the signs. But once the thought crossed my mind? I knew. I just knew. And when the test read positive? It was pure joy. Automatic pure joy! I remember crying and saying thank you God. Thank you God, thank you God, thank you God. And my life has not been the same since.

 

Today I am the proud mama of FOUR beautiful children. Today I am so thankful that there will be the 'more' that I didn't even realize that I still wanted. Today I am happy and at peace. Today I am so very thankful that God's ways, and God's timing, far surpass my own.

 

Today I don't know where we stand with foster care. Today I am okay with the fact that I don't know.

 

Today I am not sad that there will not be a ten year anniversary cruise in May. Because now, Lord willing, I have better plans.

 

Today, in this very moment, my heart is happy at home.  I realized tonight, as my son did 'shows' for us after dinner and I laughed so hard until I cried, that there is no where else on earth that is better suited for me. All five of us were piled on the couch snuggling, with Jack pouting about not having enough room, when Emma said, just wait until next year! Because next year our couch will be even more full. But as Boss quickly pointed out, there will ALWAYS be enough room for one more. And you know what? To me, that's exactly what home is. All of us piling inside of these walls. Sharing laughter and tears. Joys and sorrows. All of us learning, and growing, and extending grace. Knowing in our hearts that there is always room for one more. There is always enough love to go around.

 

Today my body is alive with this tiny one that is growing inside of me. My whole body feels it, a constant reminder that God is still at work. A reminder that God is always there, even in the seasons where we cannot seem to find him. He is the master weaver, weaving the intricate strands of our lives together in his own timing. And when we get a small glimpse of the work he is doing?

 

Our lives change in an instant. And we find the encouragement and hope needed to continue pressing on.

 

 

 

 

 



Little Pumpkin

 

 It's true! Lord willing, a new little pumpkin will be joining our family next May. We are shocked, surprised, and unbelievably happy! And did I mention we are shocked? But in a good way, because I have always loved little pumpkins. And now I will have FOUR! Thank you, God, for your continuous blessings!

Happy at Home: Little Boy Style

Do you see this boy? I LOVE him. With my whole heart. Possibly more. I love all of my children, naturally, but there is something special about a mother's relationship with her son. All he has to do is look up at me with his big brown eyes and I melt. I melt right there into a puddle on the floor, a sopping mess of deep love.

Last week my boy turned two and a half years old. The night sky was fading, Boss and I were sitting around a toasty fire in the backyard, the children bouncing on the trampoline, their fingers still sticky from the Smores we had made. And then the significance of the day hit me. It was September 15th. Our boy was now officially two and a half years old. We had now loved him for 30 months. So I yelled across the yard to him, Happy (half) Birthday, Jack! He stopped bouncing. Today is my happy birfday? Dramatic pause. Yes, we told him. Hooray! Today is my happy birfday! he shouted as his sisters wildly cheered and clapped for him. It was an ordinary evening at our home, made special by the celebration of two and a half years of life.

At two and a half years old, Jack is a little ball of energy He is full of life, constantly fighting naps. He is afraid that if he sleeps he might possibly miss something! There is nothing he loves more than his parents, siblings, and grandparents. Except for maybe Kaytlin. Kaytlin is his girlfriend. She is also sixteen years old. But Jack doesn't seem to care about the age difference. All he knows is that he loves her. He also loves sports. Basketball, football, soccer, tennis, golf. If it comes with a ball, he loves it. And thank goodness for his love of sports, because that helps to balance out his other loves of Barbies, babies, tea parties, purses, and lip gloss. His love of sports helps his daddy not to feel as worried. His favorite foods are macaroni and cheese and grapes. And if we are going to keep this update honest, I must also say that Jack spends large portions of each day in time out for hitting and biting his sister, Kate. What can I say? Love hurts, baby. But just when I reach my breaking point in this whole 'parenting a rowdy little boy thing', he looks up at me with his big brown eyes and I melt all over again.

We feel so blessed that Jack is our son. Of course we think he is brilliant, and handsome, and funny, and wonderful. He makes life in our home better every single day. I thank God all of the time for the gift of my family and children. How can my home be anything but happy when I open my eyes to the gifts all around me? The answer is that it can't be. So scoot over Disney World. Home just might be becoming the happiest place on Earth.

Apple Picking in Autumn

Fun Orchard We Visited With Friends

It Was Open!

My Cowboy

Pumpkins!

Cowboy Jack Captured A Pumpkin

Emma

Kate Works Hard

Jack Found Some Good Ones!

Claire Is In Charge Of The Bucket

My Beautiful Girl

Sweet Boy

My Other Beautiful Girl

Little Lila

Apple Gazing

More Pictures, Mama?

Big Jack and Little Jack

Three, My Favorite Number

Apple Barn

Country Tractor

Happy at Home: Soup Style

 

Happy Fall! And happy Monday! I am so excited that it is that time of year again! Fall is one of my most favorite seasons. Crisp weather, orange pumpkins,  hot drinks, changing leaves, campfires, and soups. Lots of yummy soups!

 

In case you weren't aware, soups are a super yummy and simple dish for the struggling homemaker to prepare. That would be me. Ahem. (My friend once gave me a cute little bag that read I only have a kitchen, because it came with the house! Ha!) But since I have aspired to learn the art of being happy at home, and to me that means having a delicious supper on the table for my family more nights than not, soups are often a wonderfully warm way to go. Because it's now fall! And we can eat soup!

We have a couple of 'family favorites' that I would like to share with you. The recipes, that is. Not the actual soup. But if you would like to come over for a bowl of soup, that would be just super, too!

Our most favorite soup is Chicken Enchilada soup. I was given the recipe by one of my fellow foster moms. This soup only requires five ingredients (though you can add more, if you desire). My fellow foster mom friend knew of my struggles in the kitchen, and she told me that this was my recipe. Created just for me. And because you can create goodness with only five items, I think she just might be right.  So here it is:

Chicken Enchilada Soup

 

- 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

- 1 can Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup (spicy) OR 1 can Cheddar Cheese soup (mild)

- 1 can red enchilada sauce

- 2 cups of milk

- diced chicken (may be boiled, Tyson's already cooked/just need to be heated chicken pieces, or even from a can!)

 

And that's it! You can add a can of drained corn or black beans if you want to get fancy. And sometimes I add a cup of Picante Sauce. But you don't have to. It tastes smashing with the first five ingredients alone.

 

Simply combine everything into one big pot on the stove and cook it over med/high heat until it is warm and bubbly, or put it in your handy dandy crock pot and cook it only high for a few hours, or low all day long.

 

Top with crumbled tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream, you name it. If you like it, toss it on! And voila! You have a yummy, and more importantly simple, supper!  

 

(serves my family of five easily, with soup to spare)

My second go to soup is Taco Soup. I am not sure where I found this recipe, but there are a variety of versions of it all over the Internet. I used to make this soup for the teenage girls that we fostered. They loved it, and it was good for serving a crowd. Which we always had. Every single night. And it's true that I kind of miss those days. Full tables are the best. My friend Heather used to say that eating at our table felt like Thanksgiving! And for my struggling homemakers soul, I took that as a compliment!

Taco Soup

 

- 1 lb. ground beef or turkey, browned

- 1 pkg. taco seasoning

- 1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix

- 2 cups water

- 1 can corn

- 1 can stewed tomatoes

- 1 can ranch style beans

- 1 small can green chile's

- 1 chopped onion (optional)

 

Can be cooked stove top or in your crock pot! Top with all of your favorite taco toppings. Enjoy!

 



So there you have it. My super, secret soup recipes. Except they aren't secret, because I just shared them with you. And they aren't even mine, since I stole them from friends. Whatever. I will simply say you're welcome, and leave it at that! Here's to another week of learning to be Happy at Home!