It’s been a little while since my last post. For some reason, I can be super creative when
I’m supposed to be listening at church.
Literally dozens of ideas were rattling around in my brain until I told
myself to pay attention!!! The last month has been bursting with new
experiences; bear with me as I try to narrow my topic down.
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| Tulum Ruins |
My husband and I celebrated our 20th wedding
anniversary early and we went to Cancun, Mexico.
It was the first time I’ve been away from my kids for that long. Ever! We were gone for 5 days. I didn’t worry
since my parents came down and stayed with them, it helped knowing they were in
awesome hands. We also had neighbors that pitched in to give my mom a break. Lucas
did wind up calling a few nights to prolong bedtime, but for the most part my kids held
it together and kept the sibling rivalry to a minimum.
One of my favorite memories of the trip was when my husband
turned to me and asked, “You’re a world traveler now; where do you want to go
next?”
We packed a lot into our time there. We swam with dolphins and snorkeled in the ocean. We explored the ruins of Tulum and even jumped off a 14
foot cliff. The camera malfunctioned and
didn’t record my leap, so you’ll have to take my word for it.
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I'm at the top of the cliff.
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When we got back home we took my oldest son to his week long
summer mission trip to Camden, SC, called Salkehatchie (http://www.salkehatchie.org/home/) and it’s sponsored
through the United Methodist Church.
This was Will’s fourth year attending and he looks forward to it every year.
Teens from all over the state of South Carolina (And some from Arkansas, North Carolina, and Wisconsin) come together and
rehabilitate homes for those in need. The teens, under adult supervision (Will is editing this and can say adult supervision was not the case), hang
siding, rip up and then lay new floors, as well as many other home
repairs. It’s a beautiful thing.
I am so proud of who Will is growing up to be. I try to leave him out of these posts to
respect his privacy , but I want to share the feelings I’ve had lately of watching
him grow away from me and into an adult. That’s the whole point of being a
parent, isn’t it? Raising them to be productive, kind people? He’s fiercely
independent and more than a little stubborn.
He’s shown great choices in the people he chooses to hang out with. It’s
just a little sad to think that he won’t always be here cracking jokes with
me. It’s an adjustment to go from being
the center of someone’s world to watching from the sidelines.
Maybe that’s why Mary treasured all the things up in her
heart when Jesus was little. (Luke 2:19) She knew He was special and for a
little while she was his center. What a responsibility we all have as mothers
to train these little people in a way that we don’t diminish the specialness
God places in each of them. Holding them close to us, kissing their boo boo’s
and at the same time not worrying when your son drives off to run errands in
his new (used) SUV.
Mary was there through a lot of Jesus’ ministry. She was
there for his first miracle (John 2:1-5).
She was there as he hung from the cross. (John 19:26-27) I look to Mary
as a godly example of motherhood.
How do I love with open hands that encourage my child to
become who God knows them to be? It’s a
challenge not to hold them so closely to me that they don’t or can’t leave. My
second son told me the other day that he’s going to Afghanistan as a
missionary. What do you say to that? No? Don’t go?
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| Will and Nana. |
It’s difficult to think ahead and think of a time when we
won’t all be together under the same roof; yet, it’s exciting and rewarding to
see Will (and the rest of them) grow into who God knows them to be. But, today is
not this day! This day my son is still with me.
Ok, technically, he’s working at Chick-fil-A a lot of the time, but I think you
get the picture.
I know my time with him is limited so I’m a little more
willing to cater to him. I want him to
come back home after all. With that in mind, I like to make some dinners he
likes. (I was wondering when I started
this blog how I’d get a recipe in here.) One of his favorites is “Roast Beef to
the Rescue”. Cute, right? It’s a roast beef sandwich on crusty bread with a
spread made of cream cheese and sun dried tomato pesto. It was another recipe I
had entered in Paula Deen’s recipe contest with Philadelphia Cream Cheese back
in 2010. Here’s the link to the YouTube video and the recipe follows:
Roast Beef to the Rescue
Ingredients:
6 ciabatta
rolls
1 pound
shaved roast beef
8oz shredded
mozzarella cheese
1 sweet Vidalia
onion, sliced thin
1 sweet
colored pepper, sliced thin
1 8oz block
cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp sundried
tomato pesto
Lettuce leaves/sliced
tomato (optional)
1.
Preheat oven to 350
3.
In a small sauce pan, cook the onion and peppers
until softened. Add a pinch of salt and pepper
4.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, lay the
bottom of the buns and layer with the roast beef, onions and peppers. Top with
mozzarella cheese. On the top bun,
slather it generously with the cream cheese spread and sprinkle on some more
mozzarella cheese.
5.
Bake the sandwiches for 5-10, until the cheese
is melted and gooey.
6.
Top with the lettuce and tomato slices and serve
with carrot sticks and maybe a fruit salad.
Enjoy your babies. Learn about what makes them special,
teach them about Jesus and love them with open hands.
I’ll leave
you with Proverbs 15:20: A wise son brings joy to his mother.
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