Let the Cooking Begin!

With Sunday's fellowship meal (held weekly at our church), Rich's birthday, and Thanksgiving all within the next 7 days, I have plenty of cooking to do this week! I'm so thankful for refrigeration, so I can make things ahead of time. It really takes careful planning to have multiple items baking and simmering and chilling, but it's a real joy to me to cook and taste and share delicious food, to experience the blessing that comes with feasting and fellowshiping with loved ones. Today's advance cooking includes mashed potatoes (to be served as a casserole with lots of sour cream and cheese!), dinner rolls, French bread, and cranberry sauce.

So glad the kids can entertain themselves so well! From the sound of it, they're enjoying some rowdy make-believe upstairs right now!

Let's Be Thankful!

Can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving! This week at the Gall house we're focusing on thankfulness, taking time each day to thank the Lord for specific blessings. While those of the secular American culture can only feel a generic thankfulness, or gladness over the good things they enjoy, we Christians can offer personal, heartfelt gratitude to a personal, abundant God! From Him all blessings flow, from Him comes every good and perfect gift. I want to teach my children to be thankful, for thankful hearts will be less apt to complain or envy -- two attitudes which strongly characterize American society of late, I'm afraid.

Today's prayers of thanks:
Olivia: the trees, plants, grass, pretty blue sky, pretty houses, people
Zander: the Bible, friends to play with
Eleanor: grandmas and grandpas
Alaina: a warm house, beautiful music, Zander's learning to play the violin

Encouraging Advice for Moms with Little Ones

http://www.beckypliego.com/2011/04/children-in-kitchen-teaching-doctrine.html

Great Encouragement for the Christian Woman

This blog was referred to me by a friend. Great words of wisdom and encouragement here, that I heartily recommend to my Christian friends!

Spring!

After a very snowy winter, spring has finally arrived in Minnesota. Irises, tulips, and fuzzy tips of strawberry plants are poking through the soil around the house. The giant snowbanks, once several feet high, are reduced to a small icy pile in the shaded corner of the yard. As we head out on our walk down to Como Lake, we see dozens of people enjoying the same activity, some with strollers, many with dogs. We all feel reborn, like the tulip spears, emerging gladly into the sunlight.

The kids and I love taking walks, especially down to the lake, where a paved path takes us past a scenic point of land that juts out into the lake, allowing walkers a closer look at the water and waterfowl. We call this mini-peninsula "The Point." The children love finding rocks to throw into the water, and could spend half an hour at this activity if allowed. A little further down the shoreline is a spot with benches, and large boulders separating the paved path from the water. These boulders are more fun to climb on than a playground jungle gym, and although mommy has to be vigilant, this is another essential scenic stop in our tour around the lake.

The third place where the kids enjoy playing is near the large white pavilion on the west side of the lake. A man-made waterfall and pond, with a bridge, is set into a man-made hillside, with boulders and coniferous shrubs giving it a vaguely western feel. People like to have pictures taken in this spot. I've seen bridal parties, high school students, and wetted-and-combed little tykes being posed by a photographer at various points around the waterfall and tiered pond. It is quite pretty; but my kids only see this attractive spot as another opportunity to climb around and collect things like pine cones. I'm all for it! In the city there aren't lots of opportunities and locations to get out into nature; but this is a glimpse and a taste that they never tire of. And I'm glad to see Zander, Olivia and Eleanor all exhibiting a love of the outdoors and a wonder at nature's beauty. I hope this carries on through their childhood and beyond, just as it has for me. And with the milder spring weather upon us, I trust we'll take every chance we can to get out in the fresh air and watch the waves and clime some rocks!

First Visit to the Park

When the temps reached 50 degrees last week, we had to walk down to the park to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine!

Trials into Thanksgiving

Trials seem to come in groups. The trials of a stay-at-home mom of young children may seem small in the grand scheme of thing. When I consider the catastrophe of Japan's recent earthquake and tsunami -- the devastation that ruined whole cities and claimed thousands of lives -- my trials of dealing with toddler messes and tantrums seem insignificant.

But they are trials, nonetheless. Don't tell a mom that finding all the children's clothes dumped and scattered; discovering that someone has peed in the bagless vacuum chamber; breaking up the tenth fight; endlessly reminding and disciplining; and cleaning out poopy underwear aren't trials!

I'm thankful God is with me in my trials. Even in the gross, mundane, vulgar things that fill my day, God's Spirit is within me, reminding me of God's Word, giving me the power to react calmly and thankfully to my circumstances. Not that I always do this, sad to say. Sometime I give in quite happily to the temptation to complain, yell, accuse, or self-pity. But God's grace is always there for me to take hold of, to shield me from a sinful reaction to my difficulties, or to help me repent when I fail. And His grace helps me to turn complaining into gratitude, and weariness into confidence in God.

"O Lord, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
you maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
yes, I have a good inheritance." Psalm 16:5-6