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Kroger is hosting a design your own reusable shopping bag contest. Click over to their website and vote for my bag (it’s number 40909). If I win I get a $1000 gift card to Kroger stores (Smiths here in Salt Lake) and I promise I’ll buy you something yummy. 
Or better yet, go design your own bag. You get a credit towards a free bag just for designing one and might even win…if your bag is better than mine…which might be hard, mine is pretty amazing. Here’s the website: http://www.designareusablebag.com/
Enjoy!
I have hesitated to claim this huge accomplishment, thinking I might be jumping the gun. But after several dry days, including a four hour car ride and a camping trip, I think I can safely say that Jennika is potty trained! Yay!
My goal was to have her out of diapers, expect for at night, before our next one arrives the end of May. But I knew it was an ambitious goal. I don’t think I can take much credit for this one, except for being determined. I have clothe diapers to thank for this one.
One day when heaven
Is filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as it could be
Jesus came forth to
Be born of a virgin
Dwelt among man my example is He
Living He loves me
Dying He saves me
Buried He carry my sin far away
Rising He justify
We live forever
One day He’s coming
Oh, Glorious Day
Oh, Glorious Day
One day they lead Him
Up calvaries mountain
One day they nailed Him
To die on a tree
Suffering anguish
Despise and rejected
Varying my sins my redeemer is He
One day the great could sealed Him no longer
One day the sorrow wave from teh door
Then He a rose oh
Death He had conquered
Now my sin is ended
My lord forever more
“One day the trumpet will
Sound for His coming
One day the sky with His
Glorious will shine”
Wonderful day
My beloved once bring
Glorious Savior is Jesus is mine
By Jeff Johnson
Depth of mercy can there be
Mercy still reserved for me
Can my God, your wrath forbear
Me the cheif of sinners, spare
It’s my only hope
You’re my only hope
It’s my only hope of Heaven
At the cross forgiven
I have long withstood your grace
Long provoked you to your face
Would not harken to your calls
Grieved you by a thousand falls
There for me the Savior stands
Shows his wounds and spreads His hands
Face to face before the Son
And like Isaiah I’m undone
Depth of mercy, vast and free
So much deeper than the sea
God of love, you heard my cry
Now into your open arms I fly
Words by Charles Wesley, Randall Goodgame.
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
Words by Frederick M. Lehman
Another classic song because the words, especially the last verse are so powerful.
In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
May you stand in the power of Christ today.
As we approach Easter Sunday I thought I share some words, written by others, that have always been moving to me, especially this time of year. Most of you may be familiar with these words. I encourage you to not just read through them quickly but to let each phrase and line sink it, grasping it’s full meaning and the power in the words. Meditate on what they mean both generally and personally.
I’ll try to post something each day until Easter. Enjoy, and may these words touch you and move you to both sorrow and joy.
How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure.
That he should give his only son,
To make a wretch his treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss,
the Father turns His face away.
As wounds which mar the chosen one,
Bring many sons to glory.
Behold the man upon the cross,
my sins upon his shoulders.
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sins that held him there,
Until it was accomplished.
His dying breathing has brought me life.
I know that it is finished.
Words by Steward Townsend
I’ve been terrible about planning a weekly menu for the past few weeks and the next three weeks don’t look any less busy. Fortunately one of my favorite blogs recently posted a menu for the month! Yay! I’m sticking with her menu, it looks delicious and healthy. I hope you enjoy it too.
Here’s what she has planned for this week (visit her website for the recipes):
- Monday, April 6 - warm bow tie pasta and salad
- Tuesday, April 7 - bread soup and salad
- Wednesday, April 8 - pacific rim stir fry over white rice
- Thursday, April 9 - chicken and sausage gumbo
- Friday, April 10 - pizza, salad, and dessert
- Saturday, April 11 - lemon, chicken, and leek pot pies
- Sunday, April 12 - Easter Sunday - italian chicken salad over greens;lemon-drenched lemon cake
Thank you Simple Mom!
In the last couple of posts we’ve been talking about the similarities between raising children and planting a garden. This is the final post in this series. Thank you, dear reader, for being patient with the delay of this last post.
I love the warm, lazy days of summer. One of my favorite highlights of the summer is sitting down to a meal and seeing before me fruits and vegetables that came straight from my garden. As a kid there were many dinner meals in which well over half of what we ate came from our own land. I’ve always thought the foods that I’ve grown and picked taste far better than those I purchase in the store. Sometimes they probably do, sometimes the “taste” is more of a psycological thing. In either case, reaping the benefits of hard work is good.
One of the nice things about harvesting a garden is that it’s not usually a one-time thing. Plants ripen at different rates and even continue producing, so there are typically several weeks of harvest. It’s fun to watch baby tomatoes ripen as you pick the already juicy ones.
So in raising children, the benefits of our hard work, pulling weeds, preparing the soil, planting seeds, and watering will be long term. Thankfully, even now, while I’m in the midst of early childhood raising, I get little tiny harvests. When my daughter gives me a hug and a kiss or when she demonstrates kindness to others I feel like I’m reaping in a tiny little harvest. I look forward to the larger harvests that will come as she grows older but these little tastes of the sweet harvest give me motivation to keep up the hard work.
There is a proper time for harvest. We wouldn’t expect a tree to bear fruit in the winter unless that was what it was supposed to do. We also know that there is a proper order to planting, which we’ve gone through over the last few weeks. So with raising children there is a proper order to raising them. We cannot expect to harvest a crop of good behavior and virtures if we have not worked to plant the seeds earlier. Sadly, it seems that many parents try to do this. We don’t understand why our kids are disrespectful or defiant when we have not taught them to be otherwise when we had the opportunity.
It is also difficult to try to plant when you should be harvesting, simply because it is not the right season. I think that this is especially true as our children become teenagers and young adults. That is not the time to try to teach them obedience and respect if those seeds have not previously been planted. While there may be some results and a harvest, it will be meager compared to what it could have been if the planting had been done at the proper time.
Well, those are my insights. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on this. I am most certainly in the soil preparation and early seed planting stages of my child’s life right now. I know I have a lot to learn as my kids and I grow together but I am so thankful for the delightful task of watching the seeds that are planted develop in my children.
