.Cherishing the Moment.

I am cherishing the moment today.

My husband is a pastor.

I am blessed to be his wife - now a pastor's wife.

The vote went well.

God is so good.

.A New Chapter.

I am wondering what tomorrow will hold, as our home church votes on Jim as the associate pastor. I am wondering if this will be our new chapter. We continue to be prayerful and hopeful that it is.

I can remember just like it was yesterday the day that I knew God was calling us out of the camp ministry. It was this fall, October tenth. I will never forget that date. The night before Jim had asked me to pray about the possibility of him going into farming with our best friends! I know - crazy. Looking back now, I can see it was just Jim feeling God's tugging. I was upset that Jim had asked me to do that. I did not want to pray about it. I did not want to leave camp. Camp was safe. We were secure. Jim's job and ministry was secure. I didn't pray about it that night or that morning.

I was scheduled to take a family's photos that Saturday. First, I had to drive to camp and help prepare a lunch for a paintball retreat, though. Jim had left several hours before me, so I drove up alone with my children. I remember about five minutes into my forty five minute drive that I felt God tugging on me to pray. I put a Steve Green's kid's CD in, turned it up, and began to pray out loud. I don't remember the exact words I said, but I remember just pouring my heart out to God. I know I told Him about my fear of leaving camp for the unknown, my fear of letting God truly have control over our life. About fifteen minutes before I got to camp that day, I began to cry. I remember worrying that I would frighten my children who were in the back seat. I was not silently crying, I was sobbing, gasping for air, sniffling - all out crying. I almost pulled over,and for safety reasons I probably should have. However I kept driving - talking out loud to God and crying because I had gotten this overwhelming feeling - rather a knowing - that God was asking us to leave camp, and not only that, but He was asking us to leave soon - before another summer, to step out in faith, to trust Him. He was asking me to stop trying to manipulate our lives, to stop playing it safe. I was fairly certain that God did not have farming in our future. I knew that Jim was gifted in the area of ministry, and that he had not yet been able to use all of his giftedness. I just didn't have any idea at that time what God had in store.

Let me just say, that I have never before had a conversation with God like this. I don't want to come across as all feeling/emotions based, but this was so real. There was absolutely no question in my mind that God was telling us that He was done using us at camp. That morning in the van has revolutionized my prayer life, my walk with God. It was hard. It was amazing.

I pulled on to the camp road with a strange mix of emotions. I remember a peace coming over me, but being terrified of what laid ahead, too. I remember thinking about how I had to tell Jim, but I wasn't quite ready. Because I knew deep in my heart that Jim knew we had to leave camp as well, and once I told him that would be it. We would have to proceed. I worried about the people involved - the people we ministered with at camp and truly loved like family. I did not want to hurt them, but knew that could not stop us from following God. It is no secret that I struggle with fear of man, so I worried about that too - what would people think? What would our parents think, our friends? But I composed myself and I dried my eyes, took a deep breath and parked. I kind of already shared here what happened when I finally worked up the courage to share with Jim my conversation with God. And the rest is history. You dear friends have been walking this journey with us. Thank you.

Now we have come full circle. Tomorrow will be the day. I suppose it will be a new chapter regardless of how the vote goes. I am excited to see what the Author has in store for us. Although, if I am being honest I am ready for the plot twists to settle down - just a bit. {grin}


(Please note: I had to enable the word verification on my comments. I am truly sorry for the inconvenience. I have just been receiving a lot of inappropriate spam the last few weeks.)

.Snow.

I've been waiting all winter for this.

For a snow storm that would snow us in.



I know many people do not enjoy the snow, and I get that. I really do. Driving in it is not fun. It is cold, it is wet, it can be dreary. It takes much longer to get everyone bundled up to go out and undressed and cleaned up to come in. It's not as easy getting out of the house as it is in the summer. But to me the memories made with my children are so fun and so worth the extra effort!



For me, as long as we have no where to go, and none of my loves are driving I enjoy a good snow storm. I love how bright my house is. The light reflects off the white snow and shines in all of my windows making my home so warm, so cheery, so inviting. Even last night our room was glowy with the moon reflecting off the white snow.



I like the suspense of whether or not the forecast will come true. I like the magic that seems to come with a snow day. I loved snow days as a child, and come on let's be honest I loved snow days as a teacher. I still have my snow flake pin that we teachers wore at the first school I taught at to bring us snow days!



Can I tell you a secret? I even love shoveling!

There is something so wonderful about waking up to a blanket of snow. I love making a big deal out of it by having slow mornings and making extra special breakfasts, drinking coffee, and just enjoying the time spent together as a family.



My children really enjoyed their pumpkin chocolate chip waffles this morning. (Recipe to come in an upcoming post!)



Of course there is always a bit more silliness when Daddy joins us!



I had been waiting all winter to introduce Scotty to snow. He did not enjoy it at first as much as I expected!



I realized the poor boy has no boots either! So he wore sneakers and a pair of my wool socks - worked like a charm!

He eventually warmed up to the idea of snow and had a great time.





Daddy helped the children build a six foot snowman! They are going to be featured in our local paper!









We got so much snow it covered my knees and was nearly up to Jim's knees - about 20 inches of the beautiful fluffy white goodness!





My heart is happy for the little reprieve from daily life and thinking about the vote this Sunday. This is just what our family needed!



And now I am going to enjoy the last few moments of our snow day. I think I am {almost} ready for spring!

.He's 18 Months for a Moment.

In all honesty he is now eighteen months and three weeks. . .



The days really do blur into weeks and into months, and it all just happens so, so fast.

I don't want to forget this moment though.



I want to remember forever his sweet little voice singing along to the Christian radio. He doesn't care what the words are supposed to be or who hears his sweet song. He just sings. And sings. And sings. I haven't captured it with my camera yet, but I just love how he raises his chubby hands high in the air. It's as if he is already worshiping. Maybe he is? My heart has captured those moments and tucked them away, and perhaps someday I will have tangible pictures to match.

I don't want to forget the moment when he {finally} started walking and now is almost running. He amazes me.

He still only displays four teeth. The top teeth are just precious and HUGE. I cannot help but giggle at his little body with the big teeth. Adorable.



I want to remember Scotty learning to identify the parts of his body. His nose. His ears. His eyes. So eager to please, so happy to learn. Such a sweet, sweet little doll of a boy.



This boy of mine continues to be sensitive and tender - just a wonderful concoction of sweetness.



But this month we are seeing something new - stubbornness and masculinity. He loves to wrestle with daddy and "vroom" his trucks. He growls and grunts and makes very much little boy noises, which delight and charm and boggle his mommy. He makes his will known in big, big ways. He is dramatic and persistent.



And silly. Oh my how silly this boy can be. He will do almost anything to get us laughing. There are moments when I laugh so hard my sides ache and my cheeks are damp with giggle tears.
Yet, we take him into public and he withdraws and cowers and is so calm and quiet. He takes after his mommy so very much. I fear I will not know how to foster this in a male. I pray fervently about this for my little boy.



He loves books and music and trucks and tractors. He is very mechanical - taking things apart and putting them back together - from blocks to sippy cups to Mommy's pots and pans.

He adores Cadi, whom he often refers to as "sissy". However, he does not tolerate being babied by her any longer. He yells and screams to make his thoughts known on the coddling and mothering that she gives him. Then two minutes later he is rubbing her back and patting her cheek. Their love for one another is intense and real. But they both need their space, and I am learning how to deal with and help them through their needs to be individuals and not always a sibling pair.



Scotty is going through stranger anxiety very late. He cries every Sunday when I leave him in the nursery. That is usually the only time I am ever away from him. It is rare for us to not be together. Sundays are hard on us both, and it is good for us both.



He still reaches out to hold my hand after I tuck him in. He still finds that sweet spot in my neck and snuggles in. He and I have a special and unique bond. It takes all of my strength not to run to him and cradle him every time he falls. I am learning to balance cuddling a boy and letting him grow and knowing what to do when. It's hard. It is really hard with such a sweet, tender boy.

He is sunshine and joy, and he has taught me so very much as a first time mommy to a boy. I am amazed by him everyday, and I count him as one of life's sweetest blessings.



This boy is not my world, but he surely has made my world a little brighter.

.Homemaking - My Divine Assignment.

Homemaking.

It along with mothering and being a godly wife - and the three go hand-in-hand in my opinion - is what I am most passionate about.

As I stated last week here, I am not perfect, nor am I a perfect mommy, wife or a perfect homemaker. However, I am so very passionate about what I consider to be my Divine assignment. Making my home a safe, soft spot for my family is a holy assignment from God. Check out Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 to read His assignment to us women/mommies yourself. I do not want to start a debate or stir up controversy, but I struggle to see the Divine assignment that I have been called to in any different light. I honor God every time I cook a nutritious meal for my family, every time I sweep away crumbs after a meal, when I fold my husband's t-shirts, and put away my children's tiny socks, each time I scrub the toilet and decorate a corner of our home, I am glorifying God.



God has really burdened me lately to share my passion, my Divine assignment, with other women. I hope to do that more here on my blog, and in real life. I hope to share some of what has made homemaking work for me. It is a lost art for sure, and I look forward to encouraging other women and bringing to light the JOY that can be found in this assignment from God!

I didn't set out to be a homemaker. I had big dreams after I finished my degree in elementary education. My plans were to teach a few years, and then I wanted to go back to school for my masters in teaching. After experiencing college and classes that I truly loved, I longed for more academia. I found a place where I thrived. While there is nothing wrong with that per say, God slowly started working on and softening my heart, and I grew less and less content with working outside the home - trying to juggle two worlds. When I became pregnant with Cadi, I longed for a different journey. Jim and I prayed together and committed this area of our life to God, and I started reading everything I could get my hands on about being a godly wife, mommy, and homemaker. I poured over Titus 2 and Proverbs 31. I know many women have read those same verses and have come to different conclusions. But for myself, I could not ignore my Divine assignment. For the first time in my life I saw being a wife, homemaker and mommying for what it truly is - a ministry. A ministry that both my husband and I see as my priority ministry while my children are young and in our home. Not everyone can see it that way, not everyone will agree, but for me, for our family - this is where God has us.

Everyday is not peachy or rosy. But when I prayerfully give God over my days they truly become glorious and beautiful, and I am able to look past the dirty diapers, the exhausting moments, the piles of laundry and see what is truly there. It is precious, and it is fleeting. I know one day soon I am going to wake up to a quiet home, with no squabbling, but no giggling either, with no crumbs on my floor, but no chubby baby in a highchair, with no alphabet cards strewn across the floor, but no sweet little girl to teach anymore. I don't want to miss my Divine assignment, my glorious calling. I don't want you to miss it either, dear friend. I want to encourage you tired, frazzled mommies to persevere, to see the glorious in the mundane. I want you to embrace this glorious, Divine assignment of being a godly wife, mommy, and homemaker. At the end of the day, I know I will not have missed out on any days spent in an executive office away from my children, or surprisingly now I realize I am not missing out in ministering to other people's children - there may be days for that in the future, if God sees fit. Right now, this moment, my ministry is right here, with a little boy and a little girl who I so desire to share the love of Christ with, my ministry is right here with a husband getting ready for the pastorate, my ministry is right here making my home lovely and welcoming. I feel privileged to have been given such a Divine assignment. I do not take it lightly, and I do not wish these fleeting moments away. I am cherishing them. Every single one - the difficult and the sunny.

"Whatever parents may do for their children, they should at least make their childhood sunny and tender. Their young lives are so delicate that harshness may mar their beauty for ever, and so sensitive that every influence that falls upon them leaves its trace, which grows into the character either as a grace or a blemish. A happy childhood stores away sunshine in the chambers of the heart which brightens the life to its close. An unhappy childhood may so fill the life's fountains with bitterness as to sadden all the after years." J.R. Miller "Homemaking"



Looking forward to storing away sunshine in the chambers of two little hearts.

.And That's a Wrap.

Jim's candidating Sunday is over. It went well. I thought he did a great job communicating and sharing God's Word and his heart, despite his nerves. The question and answer time last evening went really well, too. Jim handled himself graciously and confidently. I am glad it was not me having to sit up front and answer questions!

So now we sit and wait. The vote will be this coming Sunday after the morning service. I think this will be a long week for us.

I am physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. I didn't really realize it until this morning. I am having trouble communicating and processing my thoughts here, but I wanted to share something as I have gotten so many sweet words of encouragement and prayers. Thank you. I am incredibly grateful and humbled. I promise to get my act together soon. I have a few fun posts up my sleeve for this week. But for now, I am going to (without guilt) go rest on the couch.

.Great Expectations.

Psalm 5:3 "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

We have been expecting that God will show us His clear direction in our lives regarding this next ministry step. It is a wonderful thing to pray to God and expect He will answer - not necessarily with the specific thing we prayed for but always with an answer. As Sunday nears and Jim finalizes his sermon, I find myself deeper and deeper in prayer, in thought, in expectation.

If you had asked us just six months ago had we planned this, we would have adamantly answered no. But if nothing else in this process I have taken to heart Proverbs 16:9 "The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps."

This Sunday and the final outcome of next Sunday is never far from our thoughts this week. Jim and I have been whispering to each other into the still of the night each night as we fall asleep. Praying, talking, dreaming - searching out God's desires, aligning our hearts with His and with each other. In the craziness of our moments and the monotony of our days our future is only a thought away.



This dear boy has been giving us the giggles with his newest "hat" fascination, but not even that can distract us.


We have been enjoying having daddy home. The children just soak him up, and I would be telling a lie if I said it was any different for me. I so enjoy my husband and spending time with him. He is fun- fun for the children, fun for our family.



I am going to spend tomorrow really focusing on my family and my husband. I want to spend a lot of time in prayer for the upcoming moments ahead. I want to be very intentional in being Jim's help meet tomorrow. I also need to prepare my home to welcome in some family on Sunday afternoon who are coming to hear Jim preach. I am looking forward to hearing Jim's sermon. I have really enjoyed talking through some of his points with him, and I am eager to hear it put together. Of course I love hearing Jim preach. My favorite thing about Jim's preaching is that it is real, from the heart - raw. He is so different from me - an open book when he is in front of people. I think that is what makes him so special, so relate-able. Thank you for taking this journey with us, for praying for us. I will update on Sunday evening or Monday.



Next week I also look forward to writing Scotty's {belated} eighteen month post!

.Please Pray.

I love that through my blog I can connect with other Christians and quickly share requests. I have one to share. My mother-in-law fell this morning on the ice and broke her leg. She is a very busy woman working on her thesis for her PhD, teaching classes, and working long hours as a nurse in a NICU. I know this is going to add to her stress, and I appreciate prayers for her. I know she is home now, and has not gotten casted yet. However,I know no other details at this time.

Speaking of prayer. My daughter got to see God answer prayer last night,and it was so very neat. I was cuddling with her before bed, trying to make up for the moments yesterday when I was not as intentional as I should have been. As I was snuggling and kissing her, I noticed that she was missing an earring. This was a big deal, as she was wearing the expensive earrings her daddy had purchased for her when she got her ears pierced. I led Cadi in prayer, asking God to give us wisdom as to where to look for the earring. We decided to start in her bedroom and within moments found both the back and the earring itself. We immediately prayed and thanked God. Cadi was so excited to know that God heard us and helped us. I love when she sees and understands a little more about her daddy in heaven. What a precious gift.

Well, we are now on our way to visit Jim's mom and help out if we can. Thanks for the prayers, friends.

.I'm {Not} Perfect.

....but I sure do like people to think that I am.

Wow. That is really hard to admit. It is something that I have battled with for a long time. In trying to be more authentic though, both on my blog and in real life - let me tell you the real life bit is really hard - I need to write this post.

This morning during my quiet time I was studying the book of Esther. I have been on a forever long journey through this teeny book of the Bible. I am working through Beth Moore's Bible Study Esther:It's Tough Being a Women. I started it this summer, but found it too in-depth to really put the time into it that I needed to while ministering at camp. So I had to restart a lot of it this fall to really get out of it what I wanted to, and at that I have taken it very slowly and mixed in other things into my quiet time. I tend to be very eclectic like that when it comes to reading of any kind. I like reading a few novels at once, and that is the same for even Bible studies I find. I probably really should focus on just one thing.

Back to this morning. I was reading chapter five, where after fasting and praying, Esther dresses in her royal gown to illegally go before her husband the king in order to beseech him not to kill the Jewish people and to reveal Haman's wickedness. I am sure you are familiar with the story. I thought I was, but am realizing I only knew the water-downed Sunday Schoolish, veggie tales story of Esther. It is so much more than that, and I urge you to study it on your own. Beth Moore so wisely brought up the point that

Esther did what she needed to do, clearly the will of God, but not as one perfectly collected and confident. pg. 112

(She came to this conclusion through study of some of the Hebrew words and context.)

I am going to continue to quote directly from Beth Moore. As I read these words my heart quickened and pulse raced.

Beloved do we believe that the only way to do something acceptably is to do it perfectly? Sometimes God is more aware than we of just how much He requires of us. He knows how hard it's going to be for us. pg. 112

Do you struggle with perfectionism and perhaps could use a little ministry? Do you feel if you can't do something to perfection, you ought not to bother? Do you frequently feel pressure to perform tasks that will result in applause? When you blow it, do you wait a long time before trying again? Do you feel the need to always make an 'A'? pg.112

Beth might as well have just written those words directly to me. She went on to say how we should indeed always give and do our best, but that doesn't mean perfection and just because it is not perfect does not mean that God is not pleased with our performance. Phew. Really? So God really is more concerned with our heart than how we perform and appear. Why is this so hard for me to comprehend? Why do I continue to seek the approval of people rather than God?

I am not a very open person, which may come as a surprise to anyone who has followed my blog for awhile. But my blog is {mostly} candy coated, along with my tweets, my facebook statuses, and if you talk to me in person that is usually the Tiffany I present. If I actually do admit to you in person that I am having a bad day or a rough time, you can pretty much count yourself as a forever friend. I just don't do that. I am going out on a limb here, though.

My house is not always tidy.

My children are not always dressed perfectly.

My make up is not always on or my hair done.

I don't always cook nutritious and healthy meals for my family.

My mothering is not always godly.

My marriage is not always Christ-centered.

But I want you to think that it is.

I am trying to learn to just be me, whoever she is, to do my best, to give my best and do it all for the glory of God. I know I am going to fail. I fail every single day. I think it is time to be more honest about those failures. I like to think of myself as a positive person and I really do see the sunshine in things quite often. However, if I am being honest with myself and not feeling sunshiny or seeing rose colors; I don't want to pretend just to make myself look better.

The masquerade of perfectionism gets old.

I have lost friends over this, because I simply cannot live up to and be the perfect friend and the perfect mommy and the perfect wife - something always has to give. Of course it is not going to be my children or my husband, so it's friendships. I have tried to live up to perfectionism - or what I think is perfect, and I have gotten burned out. So I have sadly had to start over. I am really truly working on authentic relationships in my life.

I am taking off the mask.

And I am scared.

.Ten Thousand Beside.

Here I sit with my stomach full of butterflies. I don't think I am scared. I think I am excited. Jim's candidating Sunday is this Sunday. I have a real, settled peace and confidence about the whole thing. It seems like this journey to get here has been so long, but amazing and seriously life-changing. I keep remembering back to the day Jim graduated from Bible College. After the ceremony Jim hugged his favorite professor, Colin Smith, and we will never forget the words Colin spoke to Jim.

You will never be happy or satisfied until you are a pastor.

And it's about to happen for Jim! There is still the reality that it may not happen at our home church, but nonetheless, we know that is the next step, and whether it be at Calvary or some other church....it's going to happen! Wow.

This has been such an amazing month for us so far. The blessings that God has just lavished on our family is incredible, and gives us such peace knowing that we have stepped out in faith and obedience to Him - even when it looks crazy to others - to us! I want to record the blessings we have experienced so far this month. I am so afraid I may forget some because there have been so many. These are our ten thousand beside.

If you have been following our story, you know that Jim resigned from his ministry position as program director. We stepped out in faith without a promise of any pastoral position, but knew this is where God was leading us. Jim's last day at camp was January 31st. So Jim has been unemployed this month. We had cut up our credit cards in January and do not have that to fall back on during this time - or ever again as we have committed to accruing no more debt of any kind. When we looked ahead to our month, we knew that we would be very tight with our bills. We were pretty sure we could survive the month, but we would have to use our emergency fund that we set up through the Dave Ramsey system. This would leave us unable to pay our mortgage March 1st. We committed our expenses to God and prayed fervently about the month ahead.

As of today, we have yet to tap into our emergency fund! This has been our prayer. Although, it looks as if to pay our bills this week, we will have to. Nonetheless it is amazing that we have made it into the third week of February without breaking into that account, and because of that - we now have enough money to pay our mortgage for March! God has blessed us in numerous ways via our best friends allowing Jim to work on their farm for ten hours a week, and paying him for it, a few unexpected checks in the mail (yes, that really does happen!), and numerous meals at people's homes. I have only made one trip to a grocery store this month, and that was to a Mennonite, bulk food co-op type store. I was able to stock up on whole wheat flour and honey - staples in our home. I have sent Jim to the store a few times for one or two items, but that is it! Our best friends also blessed us with a large amount of beef, just as our freezer had run out - without them knowing it had. We have been given eggs and milk by them as well. I keep saying that as long as we have eggs, milk, and bread - we are set! And we have those - praise God! We have had our fair share of scrambled egg sandwiches this month, but we are not starving - nope not at all.

On Friday I went to my mailbox and found an anonymous envelope from Illinois addressed to myself. It contained a $30 gift card to Target! A few days before that, I went to get our mail and found a box on our porch filled with new Gap clothes for my children! I already talked about a dryer that was given to us, before we even knew of that need. My mom has dropped off extras from their fridge - like homemade pancakes for the children and even a few sweet treats for them! This Saturday I realized that I was out of bread and needed to make another batch, but I remembered too late for lunch. I was racking my brain as to what I could feed my family when we received a phone call, again from our best friends, saying that they were bringing us lunch!

This past year I did really well shopping early for Christmas and birthdays. I had purchased enough stuff for my children, that I was able to spread it out for Valentine's day and Easter as well. So although money was tight, my children still got special Valentine gifts from Mommy and Daddy this year. What a blessing it was for me to remember those gifts stored in the attic!

Scotty had a doctor's appointment on Friday. Praise God that he has grown an inch and gained a pound!! He is now {barely} on the growth chart! His allergy medication has made a huge difference, and we are finally able to experience our boy's real and crazy, but sweet-as-always personality!! Scotty also officially started walking this month, just before his eighteen month birthday!

There have been moments that have looked bleak, like after we had figured out our budget for the month and realized we had missed over $300 in bills. But God has been so good, so faithful, and provided for our every need and beyond our needs - like the Target gift card and the clothing! I am awed. Besides the material blessings, which we truly are so grateful and thankful for, we have received little cards from people saying they are praying for us. We can feel the love and prayers being heaped upon us. The encouragement from our church family and friends is indescribable. I was supposed to be in nursery yesterday, and a woman from church called me Saturday to say that she wanted to take my place, so that I could be in the service. We will never, ever forget this time in our lives. To know that we are exactly where God would have us is better than anything we have ever experienced! We are so undeserving and so blessed and so very excited about this road ahead.

He has been so good.

There is no denying God's hand in this. I pray that even those that are on the outside looking in at our story would see and believe.

I pray that one day my children will read these words and see how much God has changed their timid, manipulative, self-seeking, Mommy, and how much God desires to change them as well.

Thank you God for these blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22-24

Re: My Valentine

My wife has asked me to post on her site… A task that is not exactly in my wheelhouse if you will… But I love my wife.

I will try to give you a peek through my eyes at the most beautiful woman God has ever knit together… Aside from her obvious physical beauty, my Baby Doll has many qualities that make her one-of-a-kind.

I have never met another human that can feel along with another the way that my Tiffany can… She has this unique way of absorbing people’s emotions… a glint in their eye, a sink of their chest, a slumped shoulder… Whatever it is, you cannot hide it from her… Some of the most effective ministry I have had in people’s life is a direct result of Tiffany telling me just how someone feels. I know that when God was crafting her together He peeked into the future and saw a callous, self-righteous, stubborn boy that needed to be gently broken—and so he gifted my Baby Doll with fierce compassion for others. (As a result, one of Tiffany favorite past times is showing me a story or video on the internet and seeing if I cry.)

During my time at camp, I had to become somewhat of an expert at classifying personalities. Often time we would use a method that likens people to animals. By those standards, Tiffany is a golden retriever… “Doesn’t matter how many times you kick ‘em, they keep coming back.” My wife is a very loyal friend. Over and over, Tiffany has said that she does not need many friends (very different from her “social butterfly” husband), but those who are privileged to become her friend find a loyal companion. I am so thankful to have her standing by me side.

My Baby—turned mommy, is tops in her field. A long time ago, we prioritized her being stay at home mom… a decision that will never be regretted. Cadi and Scotty will never know what it is like to be low on the totem pole of priority. Tiffany builds into our children’s lives with passion, diligence, and grace. It is incredible to see her in action with our kiddos. Our family is so blessed to have a mommy like Tiffany.

Tiffany is a diligent planner… she plans her work and works her plan. As a result, she is an excellent teacher, an amazing cook, and a phenomenal resource to her helpless fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants husband. Before we had Cadi, Tiffany probably read 20 books on just how things would go—Me… Zero. And before Scotty, Tiffany-20+, Me-0.

Look I could go on and on here… but let me leave it at this… Years ago my heart was captivated by a gorgeous, loving, godly girl… and today I am enraptured by a woman that is exponentially more gorgeous, loving, and godly… Thank You, God for stooping down to me and affording me with my Baby Doll.

.My Valentine.

I love Valentine's day. I always,always have. I am a hopeless romantic. (I don't like chick flicks, though!)For the last several years Jim and I have gotten away for a Valentine get-away. We don't tell anyone where we are going, drop the children of at my parents and enjoy two to three days together in our mystery location. We also started incorporating my favorite kind of date ever into that trip - a Barnes and Noble date with Starbucks! Our get-away is something I always look forward to. (One year we ate at a hibachi and got the surprise blessing of the man sitting next to us paying our full bill. We did not know him at all.) We started the tradition after getting hired at camp. Our anniversary falls in the summer, and we had only celebrated one anniversary before beginning our camp ministry. There is no getting away for even an evening during the busy, camp season. So Valentine's day was our special time.

I have been sad this month realizing that where we are at the moment does not afford us this opportunity to get away together. At the same time I am really excited about the possibility of being able to get away on our anniversary this year due to our changing ministry! (Too bad a cruise does not fit into Dave Ramsey's plan! {wink}) I still wanted to make Valentine's day special for us, and I have had a few little ideas up my sleeve. Jim has now gotten sick, though. He caught whatever I have had for the last week. I am now feeling much better finally, but my poor hubby is sick in bed as I type. So any romantic plans I had are out the window! But I plan to still make this weekend special and dote on my family and enjoy some much needed quality time with them. It's not quite how I planned it, but that's okay.

That leads me to a rather funny story about our first Valentine's day together as a married couple. I really like to do holidays up big, so I went over the top for this day. I bought a new outfit and Jim several gifts and cologne. I also purchased decorations for our bedroom - candles, roses, a new CD, and heart streamers and such. A little ridiculous looking back now, but we were newlyweds. We were just getting ready to settle into our evening together when we get a knock on the door. We opened the door to find my sister, Jim's sister and a few of their friends wanting to watch movies with us in order to get off of their college campus for the evening. Needless to say that Valentine's day was much different than I had anticipated it to be!



This photo is probably three years old now, but it is one of my favorites. I love the security of being in my Valentine's arms. I wanted to do a new photo for this year, but I don't think that will happen. Marriage has not been exactly the fairy tale I thought it would be. It takes more work than I had anticipated, but it has been so worth the work, the misunderstandings, the learning to live life side-by side. And now looking at it I am glad it is not a fairy tale marriage - it is real and raw. I have grown up in our marriage and changed, and we have melded as a couple. There is no one on earth that I would rather spend my days with. There is not another man that I would want to pick up dirty socks after or pack lunches for. No one else can make my heart skip a beat the way he does, and no one has ever looked deep enough into my eyes to see the real Tiffany like he has and does. And the amazing thing is he loves me, despite what he sees and at times because of what he sees. I have never once questioned his love for me. He treats me like royalty, like I am precious, and he makes me feel those things. He cherishes me, and he really, really gets me like no other human. My daughter as well is so, so blessed to have a daddy that treats her like a princess. She will never need to wonder about the love of her heavenly daddy, because her earthly daddy is a wonderful (no, not perfect) example to her. And Scotty will learn from his daddy's example as to how to treat his wife. I have no doubt that if Scotty follows in his daddy's footsteps that he will have a vibrant, dynamic, Christ-centered marriage.

I don't want to bore you to tears, but I want to honor my husband in every way that I can and this is one way I can do that.

Song of Solomon 2:16
My lover is mine, and I am his.

I am taking a break from my blog to focus on loving my husband and children this weekend. Have a truly lovely Valentine's day!

How will you celebrate?

.Spinach Artichoke Mac.

As you know we have been trying to survive this month sans paychecks until Jim gets voted on at our church and God reveals to our family what our next step in ministry is. Because of this I have {tried} not to grocery shop too much. We are living out of our freezer and pantry. That has made for some rather interesting dinners - involving eggs and toast! Ha! But we are not starving, and God is providing!

Wednesday night I wanted to try a new recipe that I saw floating around the internet for Rachel Ray's spinach artichoke macaroni. Go here for her recipe. I just didn't have all of the ingredients. I didn't have Fontina cheese, and I am betting it is pretty pricey. So I came up with my own spin on her recipe.

I basically pulverized the artichokes with my little electric chopper. Jim does not like them, and I was afraid if he knew they were in there he would not enjoy the meal. I had fresh spinach on hand, so I blanched that and then drained it under cold water and dried it on paper towels. I also blended the spinach up, so that I basically had a puree with the veggies.

I was a little nervous about my creation, but let me tell you this one is going down in the books. It was so good. Jim ended up loving it - even after I told him about the artichokes! Scotty was moaning and groaning the whole meal - literally. Jim and I couldn't stop giggling at him. I am fortunate that my children love green veggies! This really does taste very similar to the yummy hot spinach artichoke dip that I love so much. It was wonderful to be able to eat it as a meal! {wink}


Here is my sauce cooking away. I just might have eaten a gigantic spoonful before adding this to the pasta. Yummmm.

Spinach Artichoke Mac
Adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pasta - I use whole wheat
  
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 T. minced garlic*
  
• 3 T. flour
• 1/2 c chicken stock
  
• 2 c. milk
  
• 1 bag spinach
• 1 can water-packed artichokes - I used the marinated ones
  
• 1 c. Mozzarella cheese - shredded; plus some to sprinkle on the top
  
• 8 0z. cream cheese (I used neufchatel)
• 1 C. Parmesan cheese; plus some to sprinkle on top
• grated nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Boil pasta according to package directions.

2. Melt butter in large pot. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Add flour and cook 1 minute. Add chicken stock. Cook 3 minutes while stirring.

3. Add milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add vegetables. Cook 5 minutes. Add cheeses, stirring well until melted and combined with sauce.

4. Drain pasta. Toss with sauce. Transfer to a casserole dish. Top with reserved cheeses . Bake at 350 until top browns and cheese bubbles- about 30 minutes.

*I personally thought this could use more garlic, but season to taste. I happen to {really} like garlic.

For my printable recipe click here.

I served this with mixed veggies. (Because that was what was in our freezer!) This would be really good with a nice spring mix salad and a crusty garlic bread. If you happen to make this let me know what you think. Have you ever made the Rachel Ray version? How was that? Sometimes I love her recipes....other times - not so much.

Thanks for all of the kind and helpful comments and emails on my previous post. No, I am not going to stop blogging, but as my bloggy friend Ramee put it if my family were ever truly at risk I would shut down my blog immediately. I do not feel as if that is the case, I just want to be cautious.

Have a blessed day!