Callapitters

Apparently Trev has been reading this book and watching this video in Pre-K.

google images

 I know because tonight he called out from the other room,

"Mommy, have you seen the The Very Hungry Callapitter?"

Oh my goodness.  Precious boy.

"What was it called again?" I asked, just to hear him say it once more.

"The Very Hungry Callapitter," he answered.

Callapitters.  Just one of the reasons I wish I could freeze time.

This Morning Was Brought To Me By...

...The scent of Wild Strawberry (thanks to Bath and Body Works candles and Wallflowers), Dunkin' Donuts coffee in a happy yellow mug (thanks to a friend who absolutely made my day), and I Samuel 22.  My study of David took me to the cave of Adullam and it was stressing me out!  Poor David.  Here he had been dodging spears from the jealousy-crazed King Saul, and now he is hiding for his life in a cave.  But that is not even the part that stressed me out the most; it was the fact that while there, he was the leader of a large community of people who were all a mess.  Verse 2 says,


"And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him.  So he became captain over them.  And there were about four hundred men with him."

Knowing the emotional drains of leadership and ministry, I can't even imagine the pressure and strain David was under!  Beth Moore writes,


"Don't forget this was David's first taste of independent leadership!  What could be less appealing than leading a group made up of the three D's: the distressed, the debtors, and the discontented?  Ultimately David would rise to the throne as the forerunner of the King of Kings.  His kingdom would be known throughout the world.  He would be favored by the living Lord as His chosen, His anointed.  God had to bring David down to a lowly position before He could raise him up to stand on solid ground."

There is so much I could share about what I have learned from the first 25 lessons in this study.  I am gripped by the story; there is no doubt that God's Word is captivating!

Speaking of Presence... (Another Song of My Heart)

In Your presence Lord

I will find my strength

You're the breath in Me

You're my everything

With my heart bowed low

And my hands held high

All consuming fire

You're my one desire

It's You, God it's You

It's You, only You

My husband has fallen in love with this song and now so have I.  One Desire by Kari Jobe.  A song of our hearts.  On repeat this morning.  God may you always be the highest desire of our lives.  May your name always stay on our lips.  May we ever seek You, only you.  May this ever be the song of our lives.

My heart will always sing... I love You, I love You.

Presence

You are all my heart longs for

The treasure and the hunger

I've tasted and I must have more

Of Your presence God.

You call me deeper than before

I'm falling further into you God

You are just so beautiful

I love Your presence God.

The lyrics from the song Presence, written by one of my favorite worship leaders and writers, Kathryn Scott.  Not a well known song but one I love; and one that was on repeat in my car and in my heart today.

Such a reminder to sit in the presence of God; bask in the presence of God; acknowledge the presence of God; honor the presence of God.

My dad has often said through the years that instead of praying God be with us, we should pray God make us aware of Your presence.  He is with us, omnipresent by nature.  We sometimes fall short in acknowledging or making ourselves aware of His presence.  We don't always meditate on it or sing about it.

At worship conferences where I have sat under Kathryn Scott's teaching, I have heard her encourage writers to write in the gap; pen worship songs that lyrically address themes that aren't as commonly sung about as others.  The presence of God is such a gift.  Sitting in it and acknowledging it is a discipline that brings about such peace and reward, a discipline that becomes such a joy that you do indeed long for more.  I love that Kathryn wrote about presence.

My heart connects with those lyrics.  Today I sing to God with tears in my eyes...

You are all my heart longs for.  You are just so beautiful.  I love Your presence God.

Amen.

Oh, The Things They Say

Kids are hilarious, insightful, and everything in between - it is so fun listen to them talk and express themselves, and try to store away the things they say.  Sunday morning I was driving the kids to church and we had a conversation that went exactly like this...

Madi: I wish I could fly, but I don't want to be a bird, I want to be a fairy!!

Me: A fairy, that sounds like fun.

Trev: Yeah, but do you know what would be even funner?

Madi: What?

Trev: To be a ROCKET BLASTER.

And therein lies the difference between girls and boys!

And speaking of girls and boys, my son has never lacked for admiration of cute, sweet girls.  He's already told us of several "girlfriends" he has had, and different girls he wants to marry.  Thankfully I am often on that list!  In fact, a few months ago he broke up with someone for me.  Seriously.  He had been smitten with darling Marissa, a senior in our youth group, for some time and had made plans to marry her for quite a while.  Then one night as I tucked him in at bedtime he was being extra sweet, and a concerned look came over his face.  He said,

Mommy, I want to marry you.  Can you text Marissa and tell her?

Could I text her.  I almost died laughing. But don't worry, he's a real man.  That Wednesday night after church I saw him talking to Marissa very seriously, with his classic furrowed brow and little hands just waving away.  She came over to me and was cracking up, and asked me to guess what he had just told her.  He had said,

I'm sorry, I can't marry you anymore, I really want to marry my Mommy, but don't worry, we can still be friends and hug.

Oh my word. (I promise you I am not making this stuff up, nor do I have a clue where he gets it from!  It's not like the kid is watching The Bachelor in between Backyardigans episodes on Netflix.  Though he did give a girl a rose at a wedding when he was four.  Took it right off my dad's boutonniere and gave it to one of his preschool church friends.  I have pictures to prove it!  He is quite the romantic.)

This Sunday we grabbed a quick bite to eat with some friends.  Trev was sitting by Madi's BFF Grace while her parents and Jimmy and I were waiting in line.  All of a sudden he called out to me from his seat...

Mommy?  I want to date Grace.

Date Grace.  Needless to say we have our hands full!  Her mom Nanette and I had to hide our laughter.  He's got a looong time before any dating will be happening!  But boy are we going to have some stories to tell when he does!

However, much of what Trevor says is sensitive, insightful, compassionate.  I've mentioned before his concern for a homeless man, John, that my husband sees on a regular basis.  I can't tell you how many times Trevor has asked me about John.  What foods can he have since he doesn't have many teeth?  Does he have a mom and dad?  Did he have a home when he was a little boy?  He prays for him.  And he has seen him several times since he first met and shared a doughnut with him, and relentlessly invites him to church.  In fact, he told me the other day that he was in the van with Jimmy when John rode by on his bicycle, and they rolled down the windows and Trev pointed to the church and called out something along the lines of,

Don't forget!  This is your church!

Bless his heart.  He wants him to come so badly.  Maybe someday.  He is praying for him.  And who knows how God may use a welcoming boy with a sincere heart who shows the love of Jesus to a man without a home.

Another thing you may know if you have read any of my letters to Trevor is that I often pray that he will be a mighty man of God.  We talk a lot as a family about the mighty men of God in the Bible.  Trev absolutely loves hearing Bible stories.  Today after I picked up Trev from Pre-K, he told me he had "great day" and was sharing little bits and pieces of it with me.  After some chatting, we were quiet for minute or two.  Then out of nowhere as we were pulling into the garage, he said something that made my heart feel like it was melting into a puddle.

Mommy? When I get old I want to be a mighty man of God.

Now, I have no idea why that was on his little heart and mind.  We had been talking about how his teacher had been home sick and who he played with on the playground and how many days were left until spring break.  His statement caught me by surprise.  It nearly made me cry.  My heart swelled and stood still.  I gave him a big hug, told him that made me so happy, and promised I would continue to pray that he would be.

So today I prayed once more that Madi would be a virtuous woman who will one day marry a mighty man of God, and that Trevor would be a mighty man of God who will one day marry a virtuous woman.

Who he may or may not have dated when he was five.  Time will tell.

:)

Have A Cupcake

Madi loves baking, and she is crazy about cupcakes.  In fact, she is planning on having a cupcake themed party to celebrate turning 7!  We have made so many memories in the kitchen since she was tiny, and we made more this weekend.

Friday night we went to Hobby Lobby as a family and as we browsed, we found some cute items for her party.  One thing we walked away with was this adorable cupcake stand!!  Madi wanted one for each guest at her party...we are planning a small party so that may be possible, but it wasn't possible just yet.  But we bought her one and it is just about the cutest thing ever!  And that fun little cupcake on top?  That is a Banana Split Cupcake that she and I made on Saturday!

Shortly after we moved to Florida, a shop called Georgetown Cupcake opened in DC.  I occasionally see my Maryland friends posting pictures from visits to this bakery and the cupcakes always look delectable!  Of course, the shop became widely known and the sisters who run it are featured on TLC on their show DC Cupcakes.  We don't have cable but when a few episodes of the show popped up on Netflix, the kids and I watched them.  Madi was captivated, just as she was by the episodes of Cupcake Wars that she has seen.

When Trevor and I were running errands at Target last week, we happened to see a book by the owners of Georgetown Cupcake...it tells their story, shows fun pictures, and features a bunch of their famous recipes!  Trev and I love giving gifts and fun surprises.  That day when we picked up Madi from school we didn't mention the book, but when she got in the car it was on her seat. She was surprised and thrilled!  This weekend she and I made two of the recipes.  One was for those darling (and delicious) Banana Split Cupcakes.  Madi worked hard as we went through each phase of the baking, including making chocolate ganache, coring the cupcakes, and filling them with the chocolate.

I did my best to top the cupcakes with their signature swirl frosting, though I have some practicing to do!

Trev helped his sister add sprinkles, and then Madi topped each cupcake with a cherry.

All done!

Made with fresh bananas, filled with that gooey chocolate ganache, and topped with a thick swirl of cream cheese frosting, these were absolutely amazing!

We also tried a yummy Maple Chocolate Chip Cupcake, topped with a whipped chocolate ganache frosting.  These were also tasty, and without the frosting were similar to a muffin!

Here is one on our cute little stand by our fun new cookbook!

The best thing about baking these with my daughter was not the final product, though these were definitely treats!  The best part was spending time with my daughter side by side.  Talking, chatting, giggling.  Teaching her life skills while having fun.  Working together towards a common goal.  Encouraging her with affirming words.  Being present.

I've heard my dad mention this quote by Rick Warren many times and he said it again in a message yesterday.

The best use of life is love.  

The best expression of love is time.  

The best time to love is now.

Thankful for the time, the love....and the cupcakes!  Oh, and for the record...I asked my daughter if she would hire me if she ever opens a bakery. She said maybe, she would see.

 :)

Linking to Tabletop Tuesday.  

Dating My Husband

Every once in a while, it is fun to do something simply because you can!  Something different that will break up the monotony and make a memory.

Jimmy and I did this very thing Wednesday night (or should I say Thursday morning) and it made for a very out of the ordinary date night in the middle of the week!

For the first time in history, Disney stayed open for 24 hours straight.  They did it on February 29th to celebrate Leap Year.  My mom told me about this a few weeks ago and I thought it sounded sort of cool.  Then I forgot about it until that Wednesday morning as Jimmy and I were preparing for the day.

Now, Wednesdays are always crazy days for us.  It is a given that it will be a 12 hour day for Jimmy.  When I pick Madi up from school in the afternoon I always go into wonder woman mode, hurrying her home for bath and last minute details just in time to start teaching music lessons which will finish just in time to drop Trevor at Cubbies, Madi at Sparks, and myself at youth group.  It is always a later night for our kids to get in bed, and Jimmy and I often go to bed late too as we have what we call "Wednesday Night Syndrome."  We come home from youth group with so much adrenaline pumping from the emotional, physical, and spiritual energy spent that it is often hard to wind down, even though we are usually exhausted by such a busy day in the middle of the week.

So when I remembered the "One More Disney Day" event that morning and mentioned on a whim that it would be fun to go after we put the kids down for bed, I wasn't sure if Jimmy would be all about it.  To my pleasant surprise, he said he would be up for it if I was!  So I called my mom to see what she thought about coming over to watch the kids.  It is funny because my mom and I are so much alike in these sort of ways.  She loves a good time and a memory made.  So when I called her, she acted like it was totally normal to babysit until the wee hours of the morning on a weeknight (I love that about her).

So after a crazy Wednesday, we tucked the kids in bed and snuck out around 9:15 to head to the Magic Kingdom.  It felt like we were dating or young married again - back then it would be normal to head out at that hour for a date.  Almost seven years into parenting, I usually feel like I'm about to turn into a pumpkin by the time the kids are in bed!  So this was fun.

We had no agenda but to check things out and hang out together. When we got there it was packed!  They gave us a cool button as we walked into the park, which my Disney loving girl was thrilled to wear the next day to school after we told her about our little adventure.  We snuggled on a bench and watched a show by the castle, met up with one of our sweet youth group girls and her sister to watch the midnight electrical parade, and strolled around taking in Disney's late night beauty and all the activity.

After a fun night we arrived back home a little after 2:30 am.  Thursday morning we were up and at 'em as usual, and Jimmy even went to an FCA meeting at a local middle school at 7:30 that morning to hear one of our students speak (who he said did an awesome job, by the way)!  Then Friday he spoke at an FCA meeting at the high school at 6:30 in the morning!  But even though we lost a little sleep, we definitely gained a memory.  We are coming up on 11 years of marriage in a few months, and one of the things we have tried to do consistently during these years of always having a full ministry and family schedule is still date each other.  Have fun together.  Enjoy each other.  Break up the mundane with something fun.

This week I was extra blessed.  Not only did I get a late night middle of the week date with my husband,  but I got another date night with him and some of my best girlfriends and their husbands on Saturday evening!  It was my friend Cindy's birthday and my friend Heather's anniversary (and she also has a baby on the way) so we had reasons to celebrate, and celebrate we did over some amazing Polynesian food.  We laughed a ton and went home full and happy!  I am so thankful for my husband and my friends.

Life and marriage are going to be routine on some level.

Here's to finding ways to keeping it fun and fresh!