O Lord You're Beautiful

Lyrics by Keith Green

O Lord You're Beautiful, Your face is all I seek.
For when Your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me.

I want to take your word and shine it all around
but first help me just to live it Lord.
And when I'm doing well help me to never seek a crown
for my reward is giving Glory to You.

O Lord, Please let the Fire, that once burned bright and clear.
Replace the lamp of my first love that burns with Holy Fear.

I want to take your word and shine it all around
but first help me just to live it Lord.
And when I'm doing well help me to never seek a crown
for my reward is giving Glory to you. 

This song was running through my head last night.  It's my prayer.

Let's Get Some Exercise!

I asked Mike if he wanted to put the kids to bed so I could go for a walk and get some exercise.  Caleb heard and piped up, 'I want to get some exercise!' Of course, the girls chimed in too.  So, Mike do you want to get some exercise?? He agreed and so we all headed out at bedtime for a nice long walk.  It was wonderful.  It's finally light in the evenings and the kids were excited to get their 'exercise' so they started with running races.  They weren't pooped out until the long walk up the hill home came.  They did great though and it excited me for the spring and summer. 

Maybe we could make a routine of it.  It would be so nice to get outside, go on an adventure and seek out some new territory we haven't seen yet...and get our exercise!  I thought it would help the kids get to sleep quicker too.  Worked like a charm for Caleb but I can still hear the girls playing on their beds. 

Anyhow, what a great way to spend some family time.  I'm looking for more days like this!

Coconut Banana Almond Ice Cream - Yum!

So I have been killing myself slowly as I look through endless food blogs for recipes that I can actually eat this week.  I found a great site but it is meticulous skimming through so many food blogs to find what works for my diet.  Food Buzz is the one I've been on most lately; lots of good stuff on there. 

Anyhow, I've been hankering for something sweet and when Mike said he was going out to get everyone ice cream I asked him to get some coconut milk so I could make my own.  Took a few ideas from a few places and blended into a delectable treat that I could actually enjoy.  Sugarfree, dairy free, gluten free ice cream!

So how do you make this concoction you ask?  Well, it's actually quite simple.  I sliced two bananas and put them in the freezer.  Some things I've read say to freeze for two hours but I was way to impatient for that, so it was more like one hour.  I grabbed the blender and then I added half a can of coconut milk - maybe a bit much, probably only need 1/4 to 1/3 of a can for next time, a tsp. of agave and a handful of almonds.  I blended up until the almonds were more fine.  Add in those mostly frozen bananas and mix until smooth. 

I put half into a bowl and stuck it in the freezer for, oh, ten minutes...again I was too impatient.  It could have used 30-40 minutes for sure!  Anyhow, I pulled it out and enjoyed it while we watched a movie and it was so delicious.  I put the other one in a freezer container for another day to enjoy! 

Now, this is NOT a low fat dessert - it was definitely indulgent but it felt great knowing exactly what I was eating.  There was nothing refined in there; No -ites or -oses or anything else of that nature, so for that, it was worth it. 

Coconut Banana Almond Ice Cream
2 bananas- sliced then frozen
1/4 to 1/3 can of coconut milk
1 tsp. agave (or to taste)
small handful of almonds

Blend last three ingredients, then add the bananas and blend till smooth.  If you are patient, put it in the freezer for half and hour or so to freeze up a bit, otherwise enjoy this soft cool treat right away. 

Makes about 2 servings. 

Of course the possiblities are endless in combinations for this - just start with the two bananas and then go bananas! Ok, that sounded like a dad joke.  You could add shredded coconut, pineapple chunks, etc.  Have fun and let me know what you come up with.

Reaching for the Light

We took the kids to Science World last week and we watched a BBC video on plants.  It was time lapsed so you could see the plants growing super-fast.  I found a clip of it that I posted for you to see.  What was so incredible to me was how the plants fought for the light.  They had to put all their energy into finding the sun or they would not grow.  But if they reached for the light, they would grow, get bigger, be full of life. 

It definitely got me thinking.  How often am I struggling to reach for the light?  I think a lot of the times I am one of the plants on the forest floor, settled in surviving, just surviving.  I get just enough light, just enough sun to keep me alive but not enough to grow, to change, to thrive.  God created these plants to reach for the light and he has created us to do the same.

I think often we think that we are doing OK.  He get through our days in our own strength, pursue our goals and dreams and feel like we have it 'together.'  But just like a plant, without water, without light, without food, we will surely die.  We just don't always realize it until we're on burn-out or find ourselves running after false light to give us the peace and strength we need. 

Ultimately we need to reach for the Light.  He is the only one who can cause us to live, to thrive.  Our flesh would rather sit on the forest floor or use up the little light we have to get through - but our Spirits are always reaching for the Light, struggling not only to survive but to thrive.  Rise up in me Spirit, and reach for the Light. 

Wow, God is so amazing in how he created Plants

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...How about you, you, you?

OK, if you have small children, especially under the age of four, I strongly urge you to get a zoo pass at the Greater Vancouver Zoo.  We have had passes for our kids since they were babies.  I got one when Caleb was six months old just so I could go for a walk and see something other than houses...and then it just got better as the kids started to enjoy it : )  But seriously, kids under four are free and an adult pass is $60 - this includes the train and parking (both $5 each).  You definitely can get your money's worth for this!  We go a lot and there's always something new to see or do.

Last week we took Tehillah and spent our whole time at the front of the zoo. The kids LOVE the playground and so we mostly hung out there.  But we ALWAYS have to go to the vivarium.  I love it in the winter because you can go thaw out before heading home!

 They've built this cool new dome that the kids can climb in to see the lizards all around.  They love it.

Tehillah was pretty enthralled with the marmosets.

We stuck around for the birds of prey show, that I've probably seen 20 times, but this time there was a really small audience the birds were extra close to us!

Caleb didn't even notice the monstrous wings just barely above his head when I took this one!!!

Now I've never held one of the birds of prey before despite seeing the show numerous times but I thought I'd give it a go this time.  I had brought my camera and Caleb was dying to use it so I passed it off and got to try my hand at a Harris Hawk named Frodo.

It was fun to try something new!

Of course we love the zoo so much that we went again later on in the week because Sadie missed saying hello to the donkeys and we wanted to have a train ride.  We walked to the back and were delighted to see the bear out of hibernation.  Not only was he awake but we was throwing logs around like they were chew toys.  He was running through his enclosure and even had a little bath in his pond.  We haven't seen that much action out of him ever!

And where else can you get pictures like this of your kids riding on a moose?

It's a great way to make memories with the kids, get some fresh air and tire them out : )  The animals seem to always be doing something different and the kids get fascinated with something new each time.  So all that to say, it is a great bang for your buck to get a zoo pass... and you already know a friend who would love to go with you and some really adorable kids!

Accountability

OK, so to keep myself accountable I am going to write how I spent my last hour and a half:
15 - kitchen - empty and load dishwasher, get rid of junk on the floors, wash dishes
15 - vacuum up and downstairs
15 - laundry - put away four loads and get one more in the laundry and one more ready to go.
15 - tended to my sick husband and made a plan for dinner
15 - back to the kitchen to finish cleaning all counter tops and finish washing dishes

OK, so I made a good dent.  The floors in the kitchen still need to be done and laundry, well, laundry is neverending, but it feels good to get some stuff done.

Just remember that if you're putting off cleaning, it really does feel good to accomplish it~!

Time to Get Cleaning

So with the bouts of chicken pox, stomach flu, rubella, and now Mike with the stomach flu, things have been far from routine around here.  It's difficult once we settle into an unscheduled and unmovitated place to get back into the swing of things, don't you find?  I sure do. 

Despite knowing and wanting to get this house cleaned up, I mostly sit around the clutter and dirt and piled up dishes and cookies on the floor, yes, cookies on the floor, and am paralyzed at where to begin.  I decided to start with the kids room.  An hour later and a lot of battling to keep the kids focused, the two rooms are cleaned and dusted. 

I decided to settle on the computer for my fifteen minute break, which I am sure is already 25.  But then, I look around again at the papers on the floor, laundry yet to be put away, toys strewn about and lunch dishes still on the table and get stuck.  Where on earth will I go next?  The place seems like it needs to be endlessly cleaned. 

So what better way to get motivated than to blog about it?  If  I tell you, my friends, and the World Wide Web, that I am going to spend the next hour cleaning, maybe then I can finally get some things done.  I subscribe to Fly Lady Email and she has sent me some great ideas along the way.  One of which is to use a timer.  Caleb hates it but we definitely get things done quicker when we're in a race against time.

She says to set the timer for 15 minutes and start in the kitchen, then when the timer goes off, drop what you're doing and start another room.  Keep going until you've finished all your rooms take a 15 minute break every hour.  So, as my son is longing for the computer, I have decided that I will follow her advice and get cleaning. 

You can check in with me in an hour!  Maybe it's time you get cleaning too.  If you do, post what you get done in an hour!

A Cord of Three Strands is not Easily Broken

It has been a few too many days since my last post.  For those who enjoy my posts, sorry about the delay!  We had a very full weekend starting with Sadie and I and the stomach flu.  'Nuf said! 

By Saturday I was happy to be well enough to attend the ladies Wiebe Family gathering.  This is Mike's mom's side of the family.  I was supposed to host but Auntie Phylis graciously filled in after hearing about my bout with the flu.  I was so looking forward to the event.  It was such a very special day filled with lots of tears and laughter and some really good memories. 

First of all, Kristy was in town, Mike's sister, who is beautifully 7 months pregnant.  We had planned the end of the gathering to be a surprise shower for her.

I couldn't really decorate the house for her part of the day so I made this sign instead.  On the other side it said Connecting the Generations and we had her flip it before we went to have some food to surprise her!  It was so fun to bless her with some essentials as she prepares for motherhood!

And, of course, what baby shower is complete without some diaper pin carrot cupcakes!  What a simple way to make it festive.  I found the diaper pins at Walmart for $1.37 a pack and it dressed up these cupcakes perfectly.

But now to the wonderfully tender and meaningful part of the day.  Mike's Auntie Laura is a beautiful woman who has shown us all how to live life fully in the face of death.  She has been living with cancer for over a year and is now in the final stages, though you would never know it.  She looks beautiful and strong and healthy.  She has made a memory book for her children about the history of the Wiebe family including stories and pictures.  That afternoon she shared out of the book some those stories.  It was a time of passing on to the next generation where we have come from as a family. 

I had been praying about the day and if there was something significant that we could do together.  I felt like the Lord gave me the scripture verse Ecc. 4:9-12 "Two are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.  If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.  But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.  Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm.  But how can one be warm alone?  A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer.  Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."

I bought three cords of different colours to symbolize the three generations - Mike's mom and their generation, our generation, and the generation to come.  I asked Linda, my mother-in-law, Leah, my cousin and Kristy (to represent the generations in the belly and to come) to give the cords to Laura.  I then asked Laura to tie the knot.  She has definitely been the one holding us together. She has always made sure that we get together as a family.  Then we passed the cords around the circle and everyone took a turn braiding it. 

Laura finished it off and tied it.  It was a beautiful symbol for our family.  It was, for me, an acknowledging of the past, a celebration of the present and pledge to prepare for the future generations.  It says that we are woven together and that we will continue to be because we are family.  It reminded us that family is the most import thing and worth working at and fighting for.   

Another cool thing about our family is this picture.  Here are the lovely ladies.  Sophie, who is Al's wife,  Phylis, who is Dave Wiebe's wife.  Then there's Linda, my mother-in-law and an original Wiebe and Auntie Laura, another original Wiebe.  The beauty of this picture is that Linda and Laura's sister Irma passed away a few years ago and she made sure that everyone especially her sisters know that she wanted Al to re-marry.  Not too long ago, he married Sophie.  Sophie now comes to our Wiebe gatherings and has been accepted as a 'Wiebe' herself.  It's so precious to me that family can change and grow and be empowered and given life in difficult times.  Sophie is the fruit of that, Laura is the fruit of that.  I think we all are. 

I know this blog is particularly personal so I hope that my Wiebe cousins and Auntie's are alright with my sharing so generously.  Such tender moments can be taken and held tightly or can be held out for others to receive their treasures as well. 

The Lord is Gracious and Compassionate

 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.  Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant. 

Psalm 86:15-16

I was thinking of how gracious my God is today.  I was thinking back to the time where I needed to get some counseling.  I remember thinking that I had done so much work on myself and then Mike and I met with another set of counselors at a retreat we went to.  I realized I had been looking through life with a lense that said 'I am not worthy.'  I had so much work to do!  I was so disappointed.  I left the room and had a big cry.  I felt like a failure; like I was never gonna get it together.  But then I realized that God only is revealing my true self to me because he doesn’t want me walking around hurt.  He wants me to be whole.  He wants me to view my world correctly not skewed by past experiences and disappointment.  He wants me to see me as he sees me.  He is a gentle and gracious God.

I was reminded, too, of another story of compassion.  When I was pregnant with the twins I was really feeling stirred to do a production on Motherhood.  I had written monologues, picked out music, had a few dances choreographed and lots of ideas stirring.  I even had the date picked out.  I just needed some backing and some dancers and I’d be well on my way.  I just couldn’t get that.  Every door I knocked on just stayed closed.   I felt again disheartened, like I thought I had heard God but I guess I didn’t, like a failure.  I guess it just wasn’t the right time.

Little did I know (what my compassionate God knew) that Mike would go in for day surgery and come out with knowledge that he had cancer one day before my ‘scheduled’ performance dates.  Had I actually followed through with that production there would be no way I could have done it with the news that we had just been given.  My God is a compassionate God. 

Sometimes we don't understand why things go on around us but I am so thankful that God knows exactly what is going on. 
God is so good, so kind, so compassionate and gracious.  I am so blessed to serve a faithful and loving God who will always be more faithful and loving to me than I could ever be to Him.  I love you Lord. 



God is a God of Second Chances

Yesterday at church we did something fantastic.  Gary, our lead pastor, asked me and two other people to look for someone God might want to speak to that morning.  I, of course, got a little on edge about the whole thing.  I could tell the Lord was like, 'Chill, Jocelyn, I want to speak to all of them.'  But how was I to know which one?  I found a guy during the worship service that I thought was a maybe.  OK, I thought, he can be my back-up guy.  During the break I walked around going, "OK, God, you gotta tell me who it is.  I got nothing."  Then Gary gets up to introduce us and I heard 'Tyler, Tyler, Tyler.'  But I couldn't see him in the congregation.  Where was he?  Was he even in the room?  So because I couldn't see him anywhere, I used back-up guy. 

As soon as I said it I knew that he wasn't the right one and that I had disobeyed what God had told me.  The three of us had our three people come to the front and had them close their eyes.  Then he asked the people who they were drawn to.  The majority was for Ben, my good friend Meg's husband.  Gary ended up choosing Ben to receive words from the people.  It was sooooo cool.  As people received something for him they made a big lineup and had a minute or less to share with him their picture, scripture, word, etc.  It was awesome to see him be encouraged and I did hear from God for him and this time I obeyed!  

Needless to say, I still felt like Tyler was supposed to receive some words and so I made sure he was coming to Soup in the Spirit.  He was!  Yes!  I told Mike about what had happened and asked if we could do what we did at church at our place.  He agreed and so I was able to tell everyone what I had felt and how Tyler was the guy I should have picked.  He had said that he knew he was going to get picked and was a little surprised when he didn't. 

It ended up being really cool because everyone who gave a word to him also wrote it down for him which wouldn't have happened if it had happened at church.  God was able to give me a second chance to be obedient and bless the man he wanted to bless specifically.  God is cool.  I love that church is a safe place to make mistakes and try again.  It's a safe place to risk and for me, it was a safe place to confess the truth and receive a second chance at obeying God.  He's so good!

Such Beautiful Children

Part of the perks of having a blog called Cooking, Cleaning and Kids  is that I can brag about my kids whenever I see fit.  A few weeks ago we went and had a professional photo shoot done for the girls.  Sorry, can't show you the pics unless you come over to our place in the next couple of months when we get them on the wall.

But it was such a fun experience to allow the girls to pick out their own dresses and then do their nails and curl their hair.  I know it's not all that stuff that makes them beautiful, but once you take a look at a few of the pics that Mike took after the shoot, you'll see, it definitely enhances their beauty!

Abbi is such a photogenic little girl.  I was a child model and after that shoot I definitely thought about making her one.  Times have changed since I was a little girl so I don't know that I will but she sure is a natural!

The girls had such fun getting photos done together and alone.  They giggled and laughed together and were very patient to take their turns alone as well.

Sadie was more of our serious poser.  She absolutely loved having what she called her ballerina dress on.

I love my girls and they are so, so beautiful.

We definitely made an 'investment' in the photos that we purchased and seriously, when we get them and  then get them on the wall, you must come see them.  They are gorgeous!

Their little eyes are ever watching...

On the days when I can get my butt out of bed earlier enough, I like to warm some water with lemon and sit by the fireplace and spend some time with Jesus before I start the day.  I will be the first to tell you that it's not every day and with the chicken pox I had taken the week off of 'morning time' devotionals.  I instead crammed it in wherever I could find the time.  There is something to the morning though, the quiet in the house, taking the time to give your day to Jesus and focus on Him first thing. 

After getting up out of my comfy area to get the kids breakfast I returned to read a little bit more of Celebration of Discipline which we (Mike and I) just started reading and this is what I found.

Sadie in my seat poised and ready.  By the time I got the camera she had already flipped the book talking silently to herself as mommy does.  It reminded me that their little eyes are ever watching.

What I wanted to get a shot of later on was Caleb playing computer games...to show that yes, their little eyes are ever watching.  Their eyes are watching the positive habits in our lives and the negative ones as well. 

Watching Sadie sitting there mimicking what I do in the mornings was such a blessing to my heart but reminded me that I do not want them just to mimick me but to experience His presence for themselves. 

I pray that God would grab their hearts and draw them in with His love so they can grasp just how high and how wide and how deep is the love of Christ.  I pray that for me too...and for you.