Two New Favorite Things

I've discovered two things that have become favorite things:

1. Card Games from the dollar store. About once a week I make my way over to my local dollar store. For Easter that is where I found goodies for my kids, including two card games with a Bible theme - one is called Noah's Ark (played like Go-Fish) and the other is Bible Eights (played like Uno) both made by Martin Designs. My 4 year old son loves playing these! My 2 year old son also loves to look at the pictures. Just last night I bought the classic Old Maid - and all these games are for $1 - who can beat that! They have several more that I will pick up every few weeks - its a great way to spend time with my children.

2. Meatball Subs for Dinner. A fast and delicious (and I've learned to make them healthy) dinner that I found that we all love are meatball subs (or as a true New Englander such as myself calls them GRINDERS!) I buy frozen chicken or turkey meatballs (I found chicken meatballs at Sam's Club - (2 points for 3 meatballs fellow Weight Watchers-ers!)), and dump them in sauce (today I am making a homemade crockpot tomato sauce - enough to make other dinners throughout the next few weeks. Today I dumped a ton of meatballs in this sauce for dinner tonight. But the last time I made it I just dumped meatballs in jarred sauce and it was very yummy!) I then put meatballs and sauce on long whole grain rolls, put shredded part-skim mozzarella, and then broil them for a little bit. For the kids I take some of the sauce (these meatballs are really spicy) and cheese and I don't broil their grinders. Its an easy meal that my whole family loves! Serve with a salad or carrot sticks for the kids, and it is a real healthy and delicious meal!

When do Prayers Work?

The other day I was talking with someone whose spouse has had a lot of health issues. Thankfully things are looking better and as she was explaining that to me, she said "it looks like everyone's prayers are finally working." It got me thinking how we only feel that our prayers are "working" or being answered when we get what we are praying for.

Well I couldn't shake this conversation from my mind. It can't be that for all the times we pray and feel like we are getting no answer that our prayers aren't working! Certainly it feels that way, but are the weeks, months and years of praying worthless? The verses that came to mind that confirmed this ISN'T true are:

Psalm 10:17: The Lord hears our prayers, and encourages us during that time! While our prayers may not be answered the way we desire at the moment, the Lord uses this time of turning to Him to encourage us!

Psalm 28:6: Again the Lord hears our cries for mercy! He hears EVERY cry for mercy - not just ones we make on days when we are good and righteous.

The Bible is filled with verses on how the Lord hears our cries (our prayers) for help. I would never have the time to write them here (go to BibleGateway.com and do a search for prayer or hear)

Psalm 40:1-3 shows how the psalmist waited patiently for the Lord. Verse 3 says how the Lord put a new song in his mouth. Just think as the psalmist was waiting patiently on the Lord (probably for an answer to prayer or for direction for a choice he faced), his focus was turned on worshipping the Lord. Rarely do I do this, I just keep my focus on me.

Finally, remember that God has said in Hebrews 13:5 that He will NEVER leave you or forsake (to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert) you. That means during the times you are praying and it feels like it is falling on deaf ears, remember God did not abandon you! In Psalm 13, the psalmist felt EXACTLY this way, but he chose to TRUST in God's UNFAILING LOVE.

So, to wrap up what my thoughts were wrestling with this weekend - YES our prayers do WORK - every single one of them! So as the Bible says simply in I Thessalonians 5:17 PRAY CONTINUALLY!

Random Questions Answered!

Karen at Surviving Motherhood posted some random questions - so here are my answers!

1. How is mothering, in reality, different from what you expected it to be? I didn't expect or anticipate that my children are individuals! I expected robots I think and that I would ask them to do something and they just would without any training on my part! If I wanted my baby to sleep through the night, she just would because that's what I wanted. If I wanted my kids to eat brussel sprouts, they just would and love them! I guess I expected I could control any and every situation I faced in motherhood!

2. What is something you, as a kid, vowed you would never say to your own kids? Have you kept the vow? "Because I said so" No, I say it all the time :)

3. If someone stopped in to your house for a surprise visit, would you be glad for the company, or self-conscious by the condition of your home? Why? This is a great question - the old me probably would act like I wasn't home if company stopped in for a visit if my house was a disaster (which was all the time!) Now I would be so glad for the company, and not self-conscious of the condition of my home. This is for a few reasons 1. Most importantly, I've learned that its not how clean, or beautifully decorated your home is, but it is the warmth of conversation, the offering of drink and food, and most importantly listening, that makes someone feel at home. 2. I've also learned to never let my house get SO out of hand that I'm not a few minutes away from getting it into decent shape. Also, I've worked on a way to regularly clean my house a little bit each day, so its not grimy and non-hygenic (sp?) :)

4. Describe your ideal date with your husband. Going to a bed and breakfast for a night. We'd start out with a nice dinner out on a patio. Then we'd go for a walk, and just talk WITHOUT INTERRUPTION until as late as we wanted! We'd make our way back to our room and (I'll let you figure the next part out :) ), and we'd SLEEP LATE the next morning (because we were up so late talking ;). Then we'd have a delicious hot breakfast before heading to pick up our kids from Grammie and Grampie's house!

5. If you were sitting face to face with God and could ask Him any question, what would it be? Why did sin have to enter the world?

In a few days I will post some random questions - keep checking back!