Come and see what the Lord has done . . .

A few weeks ago, I shared thirteen areas of my life that testify to the fact that my life is very much a work in progress. As I concluded that list, I made the statement that perhaps I should share thirteen areas where the Lord God has brought victory to my life. Strangely, I feel much more hesitant in sharing these areas of victory than in openly sharing my imperfections. Basically, I just don't want to let God down, and I certainly don't want to embarrass Him or His Name with my words. It's easy for me to blather on about myself . . . not so easy to try to speak to the mightiness that is my God. And yet I feel that a follow-up in order because I don't want my insecurities to preclude testimony to His glory over what HE has done in my life.

As I reflected on how and what to share, a theme of freedom continually rose to the surface. I was reminded of the Apostle Paul's words in Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free . . ." (NIV). I want to share these areas of victory in my life all within the context of this freedom I have found in Christ.

Personal freedom
1. Freedom from fear
2. Freedom from worry

In my Fine Lady post, I mentioned that I struggle with fear, but the struggles I encounter today are nothing compared to the bondage in which I used to live. I come from a long line of fearful people who can turn the most trivial of circumstances into shrines of worry. I used to believe, "Well, I am just worrier. That's how I was raised, it's in my genes, that's what I am destined to be." In the past ten years, God has shown me that this is most certainly not the case! I am free to live life free from fear and free from worry because I have chosen to serve a Savior who encourages His followers with "Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid" (John 14:27). It's true - my first instinct when a troubling situation comes up is to panic or fret, but day by day, God is leading me to a life more victorious over this tendency.

3. Freedom to be sure of my identity in Christ
The enemy, the accuser of the brethen, is quite adept at dancing in front of the eyes of my mind images and remembrances meant to keep me in bondage to my sin and to my past. Just as surely as the Lord God has a plan for my life, so does the enemy of my soul. Part of his scheme for my life is to go around with a distorted image of myself and of my God.
Based on the truths of Ephesians 1:3-8, I find freedom in refuting the enemy's attacks by choosing to believe I am loved, blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed, and forgiven.

Freedom in my marriage
4. Freedom to practice biblical submission
Surely this sounds to some like a contradiction in terms. Free to submit? Yet God has allowed me to discover through some powerful teaching and even more powerful life experiences that there is indeed freedom for a wife who is willing to allow her husband to be the leader of the home. I could write a lot more on this (and maybe I will another time) but this is surely at the top of the list of victories God has done in me in our marriage.

5. Freedom to open myself to emotional intimacy with my husband
It would not have been possible except through the work of God in my heart for me to be able to reveal to and trust my husband with the heartaches and heartbreaks I brought to our marriage.

6. Freedom in mental purity and fidelity
For years after we married, I struggled with mental fidelity. Anytime I was mad at my husband, I would retreat to a fantasy life in which I had married someone else, someone who surely better understands me, better meets my needs. I don't want to dishonor my husband or our marriage by revealing anything beyond that, but I do have to say that God used the book Every Woman's Battle to bring about much victory and much freedom in me and in our marriage.

7. Freedom not to rely on my husband to have my every need met
What wonderous freedom there is in discovering that my husband is just a human being (just like me!) and that he can't possibly fulfill my every need and desire. It really lets him off the hook when I choose not to live in bondage to our culture's message that his purpose on this planet is to make sure I am fulfilled in every way, every day.

Freedom in relationships
8. Freedom from emotional manipulation from others
Again, this is an area in which I don't want to dishonor anyone, so I will say briefly that there are those in my extended family who have fine-tuned the practice of emotional blackmail and manipulation to the point where I was in deep bondage to their every thought, feeling, and crisis. God has gently led me to understand I am not responsible for their choices or for their reactions to my choices. When confronted with this type of manipulation, I have the freedom to find peace in that.

9 and 10. Freedom in the area of finances and jealousy
For whatever reason, God has not (yet) seen fit to bless us with an overflow of material wealth. (I sorta have a sneaking suspicion that He thinks maybe we can't handle it. I sorta agree.)
It's very hard for me to forgo the poisons of jealousy when for much our married life we have found ourselves in groups of friends who do have much more than we have (materially). And this led us to be irresponsible with the resources God entrusted to us. Finally, finally, we are both allowing God to work in both of our hearts to convict us of our sins in these areas and restore us to the wholeness that comes with being " . . . content in any and every situation . . ." (Phil. 4:12 NIV).

11. Freedom to be a stay at home mama
Simply put, being a SAHM to our children is the realization and fruition of a life-long dream for me. Certainly we struggle financially. Certainly, I struggle in all areas of motherhood. But to be able to live out this dream, this calling on my life . . . there is a sweetness of liberty here that I am unable to put words to.

12. Freedom to forgive
Earlier this year, my father chose to end a thirty-two year marriage to my mother. I truly don't think I could ever, ever, tell the volumes I have learned about forgiveness in the past year. What I can share is that I now know I can forgive anyone of anything at any time. Am I called always to restoration of relationship? No. Am I called to put my trust in a person again? No. But I am called to rely on the power of Christ to practice forgiveness if for no other reason than I am willing to accept the forgiveness afforded to me through Christ.

13. Freedom from religion
I am one of those born and raised in The Church. Southern Baptist since nine months before I was born. Hardly ever missed a Sunday School class, Girls in Action meeting, or youth group function. I accepted Christ as the Lord and Savior of my life at the age of six, and so it would be easy for me to coast through life with my grape Kool Aid and graham cracker theology and my handy fire insurance policy. But oh, my God was not content to settle for that. In my early twenties, He aroused an awakening within me that opened my eyes to what relationship with Him looks like lived out. I am coming to know more and more every day that God is - as Beth Moore writes in her study on Daniel - "relational to the core." Every single one of these freedoms find root in the tender beckoning for relationship from a God who loves me like no other.

Perfect? Hardly. Again, my Fine Lady list testifies to that. And ya'll don't even know what I chose to leave off that list! But free? Oh yes, glory to God.

"I heard about His healing,
Of His cleansing pow'r revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again
And caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, "Dear Jesus,
Come and heal my broken spirit,"
And somehow Jesus came and bro't
To me the victory."
(Victory in Jesus, words and music by E.M. Barlett, 1939)

Wordless Wednesday - Apple, toddlerized

And so she made some lists . . .

Seth Godin recently wrote that "the mistake most blogs and books make: they are about the writer, not the reader."

Last month, I shared with you that I try to keep my audience in mind as I write and post here at SortaCrunchy.

But today I am going to be selfish and post some totally me-centered stuff just because I big fat want to. So feel free to skim on by if you feel so led, but I do want to say I am posting this publicly because I welcome advice and feedback and suggestions!

We are now staring down the barrel of less than one month until Little Sister's delivery. (Scheduled c-section date is September 5th.) As I panicked mulled this over yesterday, I found it very theraputic to make some lists. Helps me feel a little more, oh I don't know, centered? In control? It at leasts organizes my thoughts and helps me break free of this pervasive sense of denial which hounds me . . . denial that in less than one short calendar month, the SortaCrunchy family will be a Party of Four.

Humor me.

TO DO:

* wash and sort all of Little Sister's diapers
* figure out some kind of organizing solution for the cloth diapers that are slowly taking over the nursery (D's and LS's combined)
* find all the parts to my trusty hand pump and figure out what parts need to be replaced
* make appointment with our pediatrician to go over delayed vax schedule
* go over birth plan choices with my OB and clarify what hospital procedures will allow for (Can I have one arm unstrapped to hold her for a minute after she is delivered? Can she be with me in recovery? these kinds of things . . .)
* write thank you notes from LS's shower
* wash newborn clothes
* get a haircut
* pack hospital bag

TO BUY:

* more infant prefolds and small covers
* button-front pj's for Mama for the hospital and home
* at least one more decent nursing bra
* Lansinoh
* breast pads - cloth or disposable? Would love to hear feedback on what worked for you!
* more post-partum pads
* snacks for the hospital bag
* Mei Tai? Which one? I am to the point of having anxiety dreams over this one. Of course, I want an uber-cool, uber-chic BabyHawk, but the Budget Mistress within is balking at the price tag. But a Mei Tai will definitely take us through toddlerhood, isn't it worth the investment? But couldn't I find a fully functional Mei Tai for less somewhere? And so goes the circles of debate in my mind. DEFINITELY open to feedback on this one, mamas!

And so that's that. For now. Thanks for bearing with my all about Megan indulgence.

Menu Plan Monday - August 6th

Hola, mis amigas!

I am so excited to start a brand new week. Over the weekend, I finally started to feel like myself again. Wow - that was one eeeeeeeeevil tummy bug!

Yesterday, the players reported to the stadium to kick-off "fall camp." (For you football-knowledgable ladies, this is what they used to call "two-a-days," because the majority of the days leading up to the start of the football season were days of two practices in one day. For various reasons, there are now only a handful of actual "two-a-day" practices, so that adreline-inspiring term from my youth has been replaced with the less exciting but more accurate "fall camp.") Because The Coach will be out of the house much of the week, and because D is my born vegetarian, our menu is pretty basic and light this week.

Monday: Whole wheat spaghetti and four cheese pasta sauce, veggies
Tuesday: Bean and cheese quesadillas, veggies, fruit
Wednesday: Kids Choice Yummy Peanut Noodles
Thursday: Soup night
Friday: Frozen pizza (yep, I get lazier as the week goes on!)
Saturday: Chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries, veggies
Sunday: Yummy Black Bean, Tofu, Spinach Miracle on spinach wraps, fruit, pudding

Hope everyone's week is cool and tasty!

Bit O' Crunchy, August 3rd: POUCH SLINGS

This week has certainly been full of downtime, though not in the way I expected. Kicking this tummy bug has proved to be quite daunting, but I am feeling pretty hopeful that I am on the upswing. Finally.

I started feeling a bit nostaglic this week as I began to get serious about shopping for a few things we need for Little Sister. Thankfully, we have a wide array of baby gear and sweet girl clothes, but one thing I would really like is a new baby carrier. This got me thinking back to our first "real" carrier . . . a pouch sling.

I say "real" because my first foray into babywearing involved the unfortunate purchase of an Evenflo Snugli. I am sure these work wonderfully if the baby you are wearing doesn't top out the scales past the one hundredth percentile at each well-baby visit. D did. The Snugli was not a good choice for us.

By the time D was 4 months old, I realized I had a high-needs baby on my hands. She wanted to be carried all the time, everywhere. A friend of mine on a parenting message board posted about how happy she was with her recent Lucky Baby sling purchase, and when I began to investigate, I knew I had found what I was looking for. And so a Lucky Baby pouch sling became the first "real" carrier in our babywearing stash:


July 20, 2005 - who can believe it's been over two years?!

POUCH SLINGS - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

1) Pouch slings are sized. This means you will need to take careful measurements to get the best fit. A pouch sling that doesn't fit right will be uncomfortable for you and for baby.

2) Pouch slings are either padded or unpadded. The Lucky Baby (and pouch slings from mynestlings, another favorite company of mine) are unpadded. A very popular pouch sling that is padded is the Hotsling. These have a light layer of padding around the edge to allow for a cushier fit around baby's legs. Hotslings have become so popular, you can even find them at Target!

3) As long as you get a pouch sling with the right fit, I think these are a great "starter" sling. No ties, no buckles, no rings . . . just a simple design that has lasted through many eons of mamas needing to wear the baby. This is also a sling that could feasibly last you from infancy to toddlerhood, and the price point for this style of carrier is reasonable for those who are working with a tight budget.

Looking forward to questions and comments!

Downtime

It seems that Mama was not able to escape unscathed from our bout with yuckiness from last week. Thankfully, I didn't have the full-on violent tummy revolt that D suffered from, but I did spend most of Saturday and all day Sunday feeling like I had been hit by a Mack truck and then injected with some sort of sedative that caused any sort of attempt at movement to equal the effort of lifting bags of wet cement. Thank you LORD The Coach was home to take care of me and D!

I feel better today, notwithstanding some residual weakness . . .

Anyway, I am not posting a Menu Plan this week because hubs has some unexpected (though much appreciated) time off and is planning GrillFest '07 to celebrate his last days of freedom before the madness of The Season starts (players report on Sunday!!). I don't know what his plans are, I just know that I don't have to heat up the house with the oven, and I am all. about. that.

From last week's menu, both Keara and I thought Rachel Ray's Tex Mex Red Beans and Rice was so yummy. I am a bit puzzled as to why she decided this recipe is Tex Mex . . . but The Coach and I added some mesquite barbeque sauce to jazz ours up and that did give it a decidedly Tex flavor. Also, the Corn Bread Salad turned out to be pretty darn good. I used the entire pan of corn bread and it made for a quite the meal.

Two more things -

1) Don't forget tomorrow is the Meals Make Memories writing festival over at FriedOkra! I am so looking forward to all these food-inspired stories!

2) I wanted to send hearty congratulations to my friend Noah on the arrival of Lorinc Arpad!! Noah delivered her 10 lb, 10 oz baby boy at home! If you have minute, you can read her inspiring story of his birth here.

Things look to be pretty busy in the SortaCrunchy house this week, particularly with The Coach being home. Posting, reading, and commenting may have to take a backseat to all of our offline adventures (which, if the weather cooperates, will include a trip to the San Antonio zoo with my friend Amanda and her sweet kiddos!), but hopefully next week will find me back in my happy blogging groove . . .

Shocked, delighted, surprised . . .

Something wonderful happened!

It's really quite embarrassing how excited I am to have won this. Nothing thrills my heart like a brand-new planner. I have been cultivating quite an obsession over personal planners since I was about, oh I don't know, twelve . . .

I am a terribly lazy journaler, so I often rely on my planners as the keepers of the stories of my days. What a blessing this will be!

Thank you again, Jeana!

Bit O' Crunchy, July 27th: CLOTH WIPES

Welcome, gentle readers, to the First Ever installment of Bit O' Crunchy! Thank you to everyone who voted and helped me decide on what to name my natural living spotlight of the week. Bit O'Crunchy won by the skin of its teeth - and this was much to my delight as it was always my favorite choice anyway.

This week, I want to talk about cloth wipes.

Lisa at Full Circle Baby helped me start my cloth diapering stash (and subsequent obsession) when D was about eight months old. She did an amazing job of introducing all things cloth to me, and I remember her saying in passing that not only did she use cloth diapers, she also used cloth wipes. It made sense, you see, to just be able to toss the used cloth wipes in with the used cloth dipes in the wet bag instead of having to fish used disposable wipes out of the diaper clean-up and throw them away in the trash. I thought, "hmmmmmm, yes, sounds like a good idea, but I am going to stay with my trusty Huggies wipes. Cloth wipes sound a bit . . . complicated."

Some months later, it occurred to me (as I was fishing a poopy-covered Huggies wipe out of a poopy-covered cloth diaper) that, indeed, there might be an easier way to do this. It was also around this time that I had begun to buy many of our diapers from Work At Home Moms who nearly always threw in a sweet little cloth wipe with the new dipe as a thank-you-for-ordering bonus. I gathered these sweet little wipes and found some recipes for homemade wipe solutions, and I haven't ever looked back. Even when I got pregnant and D was in sposie dipes much of the time, I still used our cloth wipes because I love them so much.

Here's the thing: which is more effective in cleaning up a spill on your kitchen counter - a soaking wet paper towel or a dampish-dry bar towel? I will reach for the bar towel every time. Think back to when your babe was a wee little one and you reached for a burp rag to wipe up that sweet little cherubic face after a feeding. Would you have rather grabbed a chemical-soaked "cloth-like" paper towel or a soft, cotton-y actual cloth?

Now, how and when do we use baby wipes? On the most tender of skin on our most tender of treasures to clean up some very unpleasant stuff. If you think about it, cloth wipes just make good common (crunchy) sense. Effective clean-up, no harsh chemicals, and nice and soft on a baby's bum!

Cloth wipes - what you need to know:

1) You can purchase fun and funky cloth wipes through many WAHM venues. Here's just a sampling:
Hyena Cart Stores - ClothDiaperMama, The Rosa Mariposa, goodmama (at The Muses congo)
Etsy Stores - Craft Monkey, countryclothcreations, slingsandsacks
Again, that is just a sample of the many, many WAHMs who carry cloth wipes.

2) Cloth wipes are easy to make yourself! If you aren't up for sewing, you can easily use bargain-priced baby washcloths.

3) Wipe solutions are also easy to make or can be purchased. If you make your own, you can customize it to your child's unique needs (sensitive skin, eczema, etc.).

4) Cloth wipes can be laundered with your cloth diapers. Even if yours isn't a cloth diapering home, you can still use cloth wipes. Just gather your wipes and run them through a cold rinse, hot wash with regular detergent, and hot cycle in the dryer (or hang on the line). Easy peasy!

5) I love cloth wipes for the same reason I love cloth diapers - good for the planet, good for the pocketbook, and good for baby's skin.

Bring on the questions and comments!

We have a winner!

This morning, I had to giggle when I read Musings of a Housewife's post about choosing her giveaway winner. I also had originally planned to write out all the entrants and post really cute pics of D drawing a name out of a ballcap or something equally precious and ohsounique, but once my comments spilled over the one hundred mark, I began looking for a different solution.

Like dcrmom, I turned to the random integer generator at Random.Org. The Lord, He had mercy on me this morning . . . the number selected by random was number 44! Far, far easier than counting into the two-hundreds, yessir.

So, Sunny Kristi at Sunny Pond Home, it's your lucky day! I look forward to your BIG (hee hee) shopping spree at Northern Essence.

In which I prepare to do some serious drooling

One beautiful aspect of the second and third trimester of pregnancy is that food tastes. so. good. This sorta explains why my first child was nearly ten pounds, and why, judging by the looks of things, Little Sister is well on her way to topping out the nursery scales as well.

Even when not pregnant, I do love to eat. Love. And so I am so excited that darling Megan at FriedOkra is hosting a Meals Make Memories Day next Tuesday, July 31st.





With a name like FriedOkra, you know her food related memories are going to be good! I can't wait to read what everyone else has to contribute. And what food-based memory shall I choose?! My mind swims with possibilities.

Now listen, sweet friends, I know some of you are supreme kitchen goddesses. You don't get to that level of kitchen prowess by accident - you've got some stories to tell. I can't wait to hear them all!

Next Tuesday. FriedOkra. Get there early so you can get a seat at the grown-up table.

Recovering

I'll spare you the gory details, but last night at the SortaCrunchy house was not a pretty scene. D came down with a tummy bug and there was throw-up . . . lots and lots of throw-up. So today will be about cleaning up, scrubbing down, and airing out.

And I'll probably need to lay down a little bit, too.

If all goes well and neither Mommy nor Daddy comes down with this short-lived but violent plague, then I may be able to post something of substance.

If not, then I will definitely be back tomorrow for the Northern Essence giveaway drawing and my first natural living spotlight!

Hope all is well and vomit-free for each of you today.

Wordless Wednesday - The Backyardigans

(The Coach would be highly irritated if I didn't clarify that this is our next door neighbor's backyard. He would never, no not ever, let our grass grow that high.)

Comments, commenting, and fostering discussion in blogland

I had a whole 'nother post in mind for today, but honestly, this discussion prompted by Jeana at Days to Come is much more interesting to me.

The question that spawned the discussion is this: What is the purpose of comments?

Jeana makes great points in her original post regarding how, when, and why the comment section of a blog can be used. I won't restate all of her ideas here (as it really is worth a few minutes of your time to read for yourself), but I think she sums it up nicely in this sentence: "The comment section is a good place to hold a discussion, add relevant points, express that you can relate, or bring up a different side of what is being discussed." Jeana goes on to speak to the idea of using discretion in evaluating a blogger's overall tone and purpose of the post in specific, as well as the blog in general, before leaving a comment for the author. Again, I agree with her on all of this, and so I thought it would be interesting to take the idea a step further.

My question is, what stimulates you - a blog reader - to leave a comment on a post you have read?

In other words, how would you describe your commenting personality?

Are you one who enjoys reading for the sake of reading and rarely leaves a comment anywhere? Do you prefer to wait for a post to come along that really gets you fired up before you say anything? Would you say you that although you read a diverse selection of blogs, you are more prone to comment on the blogs of people with whom you have established a relationship, or are you more likely to just comment as the mood strikes? Do the limitations of time affect what you say and where?

I look forward to hearing what you have to say because I am a bit obsessive over my audience. Notice I didn't say over comments . . . but I do think long and hard about my audience before I post anything. I suppose it goes back to my days as an English major where every. single. piece of writing was evaluated (at least in part) by how well it spoke to the intended audience. For me, comments are a reflection as to whether or not I spoke to my audience in that particular post. I have discovered that within my unique audience, some topics like baby names and extended breastfeeding tend to elicit more of a response from my readers than, say, poetic attempts inspired by a day at the playground. Does that sway what I decide to post here? Certainly! But not to the point where I am going to focus solely on controversial or inflammatory topics out of a desperate need for comments.

As for my own commenting personality - this is an area I struggle with because again, it all goes back to audience for me. When I subscribe to a blog's feed, I feel that I am volunteering to be that writer's audience. Hence, if that writer posts something, I am driven, compelled, to say something. Just as if she called me on the phone to share a new recipe with me, or tell me the cutest thing her son did that day, or tell me about her crappy day at work . . . I would never just listen and hang up without a word. Obviously, these are two different forms of communication and don't require the same manner of response, but I think it is that writer/audience relationship that drives my need to say something after a read a post, even if it doesn't actually accomplish a purpose of furthering the conversation. Just so long as I say something.

Alas, I am a human who operates under the confines of time and don't get to say nearly all that I want to to everyone who shares their thoughts with me via their blog. And because of that, I am a perpetually frustrated commenter.

And double alas - I have gone on (and on) about myself more than I had intended! I so desire to hear from all manner of blog readers on this idea - both my usual, wonderful, precious crew and anyone who clicks over here from Days to Come.

What role do you play in furthering discussion in blogland?

Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway!

DETAILS - I am not so good with them. I will close comments for entry at 7 am on Friday, July 27th. Winner will be drawn around 9 am on Friday morning. Best of luck! Thanks for stopping by!

Hooray! The day has arrived to kick-off Shannon's Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway!

I am excited to offer to you the chance to do a little shopping at one of my favorite natural products companies - Northern Essence! Northern Essence is a Work At Home Mom business that creates and carries all kinds of great natural products. Stuff for moms, stuff for babes, even stuff for the man in your life! The winner of my giveaway will choose up to $15 in products from Northern Essence, email me your order, and I will place the order for you so I can cover shipping. Your order will come shipped directly to you. Giveaway offer open to residents of the USA and Canada.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. I will randomly select a winner on Friday, July 27th. Good luck! Happy Giveaway Week!

Menu Plan Monday - July 23rd

*** UPDATED WITH CORN BREAD SALAD RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM! ***



Thanks, as always, to Laura for hosting!

Veggies for the week depend on what looks good at the Farmer's Market Tuesday afternoon. I will be happy to post recipes on request.

Monday: Steak Soup (didn't make yesterday), cornbread

Tuesday: Chicken fajitas, Granny's Low-Fat bean dip, salad

Wednesday: Burgers grilled out, chips, veggies

Thursday: Tex Mex Red Beans and Rice, salad

Friday: Corn Bread Salad

Saturday: Colorful Hamburger Rice, pudding parfaits

Sunday: Just me and D, so probably sandwiches

Hope everyone has a great week!


PER REQUEST, here is the recipe for Corn Bread Salad. I found this in the Taste of Home Ground Beef Cookbook, 1999.

From Sherry E., Camden, Arkansas

Corn Bread Salad
3/4 lb ground beef
1-1/2 c. crumbled corn bread (if you like to use an 8.5 oz mix like Jiffy Cornbread mix - my fave! - then 1-1/2 c is about half of what the 8.5 oz mix will make)
1 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 medium tomatoes, chopped

Topping:
1-1/3 c. mayonnaise
2 t. sugar
2 t. vinegar

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and cool slightly. In a large bowl, layer corn bread, beans, celery, onion, and tomotoes. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar; mix well. Sppon beef over tomato layer. Spread topping over salad. (Do not toss.) Yield: 8 servings

Haven't made this one yet, but I will let you know next week how it turns out!