P.I.T - Parent's-In-Training!

 So I was going to try to include this in my Monday post…but I feel like so much has happened this past week/ weekend that it would need its own post (and it has taken me this long to write it).

So as I stated in an earlier post Byron and I got to be parents in training for 4 ½ days this past week. Why do I say this? Well starting Wednesday afternoon I picked up a 4 ½ almost five year old little girl (Kindergarten) and a 7 year old little boy (2^nd grader) and brought them to our house until Sunday afternoon; and we were able experience what it is like to be working parents of two school age kids. I was reminded several times that even though Byron and I felt like we were parents in training, we still had it pretty easy since we were out of the diaper stage and I need you to do everything for me stage. But regardless this week was definitely training for us and a good experience.

I had to prepare myself for this experience though. I have been very bad at cooking dinner lately (as in… I don’t do it or we heat up one of those bag pasta dinners on the stove).  I knew I didn’t want to be that kind of mom-in-training so Tuesday on my lunch break… I actually did meal planning. I figured out what we would be eating for breakfast and dinner and lunches for everyday while I had the kids. Then when I got off work I went to the grocery store to buy the groceries. This is a big deal because I was tired and had it been groceries for Byron and I only… I would have rescheduled the grocery store trip for a more rested day (which never seems to appear and is probably why I don’t meal plan/cook and we eat bag dinners all the time). But since I had two more mouths to feed I sucked it up and went to the grocery store! J

My lifesaver this past week for dinner was my new Crockpot. My dinner meal plans included two crockpot meals. I knew I would be getting home late so I wanted dinner to be ready when I got home. With my new crockpot I set the desired cook time and then when that time was up the crockpot automatically shifted to warm and stayed on warm until I turned it off. When it switches to warm the timer then starts counting how long it has been on warm. This makes crockpot cooking a lot easier with a lot higher chance that dinner won’t be burned when I get home!!

So for dinner the first night I tried CrockPot Chicken and Biscuits . Let’s just say mine… did not look like the picture! J I varied the recipe only slightly by using a frozen mixed vegetables meant for veggie soup, but it still turned out more like chicken and dumplings. The biscuits just didn’t really cook, maybe too much condensation, not sure. Well, on second thought I think I added way too much broth too! Oops! Oh well, Byron and the kids liked it a lot. Byron Loved it actually… so I will still consider it a hit/ success! J

 

This picture is not of my dinner…but of how it is supposed to look when done right! J

 

Dinner for night number two was Slow Cooker Ravioli . So, with this one I followed the directions for the most part. My only variance was one bag cheese ravioli and one bag beef. But, with this one I learned I would need to double if not triple the sauce I use the next time I make it (and there will be a next time). We had to add more sauce because it was a little dry, but still very tasty.

So not only did I have to make sure the kids had dinner at night… I also had to make sure they had breakfast in the morning; and cereal and pop tarts were not going to cut it for this mom-in-training. So, for our first morning I made bacon, sausage, egg and cheese English muffins with a side of fruit and Apple juice. On morning two I made scrambled eggs and cheese with bacon and mixed berry muffins with fruit and apple juice. Morning three which ended up being Saturday I made Pumpkin French Toast Bake. Actually, I made it at like midnight Friday night after we got home from our softball games... but that was only after I made the Home Made Pumpkin Butter to go in the French Toast casserole.
So as I begin making the pumpkin butter I am expecting the kids to be in bed because after all it is midnight but no; after their baths they hit a second wind and sat at the bar in the kitchen and “helped” me cook.  As I continue making the pumpkin butter I realized I forgot to but in the apple juice. I was like “oops I hope this turns out good, I have never made it before.” The little boy looks at me and says “don’t you think you should make us something you have made before?” Ha-ha! I said “well, we all have a first time for everything, but I am pretty sure it will be good…if not… I have a backup breakfast.” J So they helped me make the French toast and we practiced math as we did our measurements. Fun! Then we went to bed.

 

This night at bed time was a little different. Usually they have their own room that they sleep in when they stay with us. But tonight they told me they wanted to sleep with us. I was not thinking this was a good idea for many reasons. One, they are not family so I don’t want it to look bad them actually sleeping with us; two, we only have a queen bed; three, my husband is 6’7”; and 4, my yellow lab likes to sleep in the bed with us. I was just not seeing how this would work. Then they told me that they could sleep on the “small” mattress. I said “the twin mattress on the floor in the bedroom?” and they said “yes”! “The one the dogs sleep on?” I asked. “Yes!!” “Well, you know if you sleep on that mattress the dogs, are probably going to want to sleep with you.” I said, and to that I got two big grins and two very enthusiastic head nods yes. That was the whole idea. They wanted a slumber party with us and the dogs! J (To all who maybe concerned… the mattress is a twin mattress that we put on the floor and yes we let the dogs sleep on it... but the sheets on it are washed and changed regularly and we get the mattress cleaned regularly like we do our carpets.)

 

As much as I enjoyed winning our two softball games Friday night… I thoroughly enjoyed our Saturday.
Saturday morning we were all out of bed at 6:30am, (even though we went to bed after midnight) thank you daylight savings... and Drake (my yellow lab). As soon as anyone starts to move in the morning Drake is in their face waiting to play, potty and eat. The kids were no exception to that; so as soon as they stirred and Drake said hi... there was no more sleeping in. J So I went ahead and got up and but the casserole in the oven to start the day. After breakfast we got ready to go spend the morning/afternoon at the Zoo. It was a beautiful day for the zoo and obviously everyone else felt the same way because it was packed. Many of you may already know this…but going to the zoo with kids is so much more fun than going with adults. I think Byron and I had has much fun with the kids if not more fun than the kids!! Every exhibit we went to we would check the sign to see what was supposed to be in the exhibit. Then we would play “I spy” and try and find them all and read the interesting facts. I have been to the zoo before… and it was fun…but I had such a good time with the kids.

 

The kids with Chance

 

The kids got to crawl through the fish tank

All in all we had a great weekend! We won our first two softball games and we survived being Parents-in-training and honestly loved every minute of it! We are now just waiting on the Lord for our own blessing of Children so we can be parents-in-training for the rest of our lives. J

God Bless.

Here are a couple of verses I am holding on to while I wait.

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (NIV)

 Psalm 40:1
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. (NIV)

 Psalm 37:3-5

New Life Version (NLV)

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good. So you will live in the land and will be fed. ⁴ Be happy in the Lord. And He will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Give your way over to the Lord. Trust in Him also. And He will do it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He's got the whole world in HIS hands

Day 14: Today I am thankful that he really “has the whole world in his hands”. It doesn’t matter what is going on in this world, this country or in our lives because God has has it all. He has you, he has me, he has the homeless guy down the street and that movie star in the mansion. We are his.

 

Matthew 6:25-34 (New Living Translation)

25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

 

He´s got the whole world in His hands,
He´s got the whole world in His hands,
He´s got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the earth and sky in his hands;
He's got the night and day in his hands;
He's got the sun and moon in his hands;
He´s got the whole world in His hands.

He´s got the whole world in His hands,
|: He´s got the whole world in His hands,
He´s got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the land and sea in his hands;
He's got the wind and rain in his hands;
He's got the spring and fall in his hands;
He´s got the whole world in His hands.

He´s got the whole world in His hands,
|: He´s got the whole world in His hands,
He´s got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the young and old in his hands;
He's got the rich and poor in his hands;
Yes, he's got ev'ry one in his hands;
He´s got the whole world in His hands.

Never Alone.

Day 13: Today I am thankful that God did not leave me where he found me. I have had many struggles and challenges in my life. But, I am so glad that God saw more for my life. I am thankful that he gave me the passion to dream so that I could see and want more out of life. I am glad that he gave me eyes to see that where I was, was not the plan God had for me. I am glad that he gave me the strength to get up and move on. I am glad that he has helped me to learn from my own mistakes and other people as well. I am also thankful that as good as I feel life is now.. that God still has a bigger better plan and that he still isn’t done with me yet.

 

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

There were some really tough times in my childhood. Times I thought I was totally alone… that no one cared. But, at the same time I always had a comfort and peace in my heart from God that he loved me, he cared for me and that as long as I believed in him I would never be alone. Eventually I was delivered from that tough situation... but then I began to struggle with all the anger and resentment of having to go through that situation. Once again God delivered me from that. He surrounded me with the right people at the right time. I walked a fine line for a while… but I never crossed it. I know God saved me from my self many times. I am thankful and reminded that I never walk alone.

Still Counting my Blessings!!

So once again I am behind on my thankful post… So I will try to catch up on them today. One of the reasons I am behind is because Byron and got to be parents in training this past week. Hence my time was busy and I didn’t sit down in front of the computer once while I was home this weekend.

 

Day 10: Today I am thankful to have the support of my husband. I am a planner. I plan everything. I typically have back up plans for my back up plans. I like to stay busy and active. Too much down time bores me and I might even feel a little depressed from it. My husband... is not a planner. He is a go with the flow kind of guy. Too much planning and too many details stress him out. He doesn’t like to feel like he is on a schedule. Yet despite this major difference we have he is still very supportive. Like when I told him we were going to babysit a 4 almost 5 year old and seven year old for 4 1/2 days. He was supportive. Not only was he supportive he helped the whole experience to be better. I had to change my work schedule slightly to be able to drop them off at school, so I was getting off work an hour later. So Byron agreed to pick them up from afterschool and get homework done before I got home. He also was supportive in everything else I had planned this weekend and working out ways to make sure it was good for the kids and us.

  Day 11: Today I am thankful for the kids in my life. No we don’t have children yet; but we have several nieces and nephews and the other children I get to spend time with. I love kids so much. I like seeing them grow up and learn and turn into little adults. I like to see how proud they are of themselves when they finally learn to do something and I like how much they love and how they experience and view life. I also, like how they make things fun.





All My Nieces and nephews

Most of my nieces and nephews (picture taken recently)



Byron and I with his two nieces (little Beauties)

The two kids I watch

Day 12: Today I am thankful for all of the people in my Sunday school class. God has really surrounded us with some amazing people. I look forward to all of the stages in life we will go through together. I think we all love and support each other and it is just such a good feeling to know you have so many Godly friends!! Blessed!!

Sunshine makes me Smile!

Day 9: Today I am thankful for Sunshine!! I love how it warms you and it always makes me smile! Today is the kind of day I would love to just sit in a hammock under a tree and alternate between reading and napping.

Psalm 113:3 NIV “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.”

 

Maybe this is why it always makes me so happy! I think of the Lord shinning down on me and it feels like he is giving me a big hug or a warm embrace!! :)
 

I hope you have a warm hug kind of day! :)

The Start of my Thankfulness

So I know I haven't posted in a really long time. So I would like to change that.

On November 1^st I noticed several of my friends posting thankful post day 1. Then the next day I saw day 2 post. Then I realized they must be posting what they are thankful for every day this month. Initially I thought I was too late to jump on board… but then I realized that it is never too late to start being thankful. So I am going to share my post for the past 8 days of all that I am thankful for and I will continue to do so… hopefully even past November. J

So here they are straight off of Facebook.

November 1, 2012: I actually posted this before I knew about the thankful post; and I think it was a good way to start the month. “When I think about the Lord, how he saved me, how he raised me, how he filled me with the holy ghost, how he healed me to the uttermost. When I think about the lord, how he picked me up, turned me around, and he placed my feet on solid ground. It makes me want to shout, hallelujah, thank you Jesus. Lord you're worthy of all the glory, all the honor and all my praise!"

November 2, 2012: “I would like to jump on the thankful bandwagon as well this month. I am a day behind but I will be thankful for two things today. I think it is good for us to take time to think about what we are thankful for.
Day 1: I am thankful for life. I am glad that my parents chose life for me and that I have the chance to LIVE every day!
Day 2: I am thankful for the JOY in my heart. I feel in this past month God has restored my JOY. I have always been a happy person... but joy is totally different and my heart has been so full of Joy lately and it is soo good to be back there!!”

November 3, 2012: Day 3: “I am thankful that I have never been alone. My heavenly father has always been there for me and I have been in many "battles" but never alone!! :)”

 

November 4, 2012: Day 4: “Today I am thankful for LOVE. I am thankful for all the people who have loved me not matter what. I am thankful to the people who taught me how to love and for God teaching me how to let people love me.”

November 5, 2012: “Day 5: I am thankful for Employment. I thankful for the job that God's has given that gives me a paycheck and allows me to enjoy the rest of my life. I am thankful that I am happy at my job and have very little stress associated with it. I can't really ask for much more than that right now.”

 

November 7, 2012: “So I missed my thankful post yesterday so i will do two today!
Day 6: I am thankful that no matter how busy I am and don't always make time for God.... that he is never too busy for me and always makes time for me.
Day 7: I am thankful for friends. God has always blessed me with GOOD friends. These friends have always helped me to be a better version of myself. They discouraged me from bad choices and encouraged me to be who God created me to be!! Thank you at all of those good friends!”

 

November 8, 2012: Day 8: “Today I am thankful for My Husband Byron Ewald. My 5th grade Sunday school teacher told me that it is never too early to start praying for what you want in a spouse… so I did and never stopped. My plan was to be married at 22 with my first kid by 25. I met Byron when I was 25. I think God has a sense of humor and I am constantly reminded that my plans are not always God’s Plans. times I thought I might never get married. That no one would ever be able to "handle" me. But that never stopped me from Praying and waiting. Some people would tell me that I was too picky and that I might never get married. But my basic criteria was a “good, Christian, gentleman” and I knew I couldn’t lower or change those standards. Well I found him and he was worth waiting for. We may not be perfect and neither is our marriage but I believe that we are better together than we were separately. He makes me be and want to be a better person and I hope I do the same for him. I am so blessed and thankful that God chose him to be my husband. I couldn’t be more blessed than to be called his wife. I thank God that his plans are not my plans… because if I was married at 22 it would not have been to Byron Ewald and that would have been a big loss on my part. We have been together 3 ½ years now and I look forward to all the years to come! I love you boo!

There were times I thought I might never get married. That no one would ever be able to "handle" me. But that never stopped me from Praying and waiting. Some people would tell me that I was too picky and that I might never get married. But my basic criteria was a “good, Christian, gentleman” and I knew I couldn’t lower or change those standards. Well I found him and he was worth waiting for. We may not be perfect and neither is our marriage but I believe that we are better together than we were separately. He makes me be and want to be a better person and I hope I do the same for him. I am so blessed and thankful that God chose him to be my husband. I couldn’t be more blessed than to be called his wife. I thank God that his plans are not my plans… because if I was married at 22 it would not have been to Byron Ewald and that would have been a big loss on my part. We have been together 3 ½ years now and I look forward to all the years to come! I love you boo!”