Saturday Sweets

In my bible study, we are reading a book called, "Resolution" by Priscilla Shirer. Back in October we heard her speak at a conference and she was amazing and I knew I wanted to read her book. The first chapter is about living in the present and not wishing your life away. (For example, before you are married, saying, "if only I was married then i would be happy" or when you have small children, saying,"when they grow up then I will be able to...") She says that if you are always looking forward to the next stage of your life, then you will miss out on the blessings that God has for you right now. I feel like I really do love my life right now and do love this stage, but I can see that sometimes I can get caught up in the "dailyness" of life (laundry, dishes, more laundry, more dishes) and not appreciate what I have. I think blogging will help me look back at what I have done and appreciate the stage that I am in now even more. I know that I won't be a daily blogger, but I thought I could highlight some of the sweet moments of life.

Sweet #1
Dossier shipping to China!!!! I was so excited when our last piece of paperwork came back on Monday from being authenticated! We sent it overnight to Holt in Oregon and since that completed our dossier, they were able to send it to China on Friday. We started collecting paperwork for this dossier in June, so that tells you how long of a process it has been. Every paper in there has to be notarized, certified by the State of Nebraska, and authenticated by the Secretary of State and Chinese Consulate in Washington DC. I had a lot to learn to figure all that out, but little by little, got it all done. As soon as they told me it shipped, I started getting nervous about it getting to China. That is A LOT of original paperwork that would be devastating if it got lost in shipping. That is when I decided to give it all over to God. Every time I start to worry about it, I say a little prayer about every hand and plane and truck (or whatever) that has to touch that paperwork that it would be able to be delivered safely!

Sweet #2

"Freefridgerfrator".....my new favorite word that Callie says. We got a new refrigerator this week. If you can be in love with an appliance, I think I might be! It is the first "new" refrigerator that Matt and I have had since we have been married. It's so nice to open it up and be able to see everything and not wonder what part of it will fall off next. :) I think my favorite part is watching Callie get her crushed ice from it. She gets a stool, pushes in her cup to get ice with one hand, and blocks the ice from getting in her face with the other hand. It is quite hilarious!

Sweet #3

Seeing Sydney have so much fun with her friend. Sydney has a friend, Laney, that she plays with probably once a week. They like to have play dates that almost always turn into a sleepover, as long as it isn't a school night. That is totally fine with me! It is fun to watch them grow up and scheme to see if they will be able to get away with asking for another play date or something. When Sydney's dear friend, Sofia, moved it was so hard on Sydney (and still is!) So, it has been nice to see her connect with another girl that is so sweet!

Sweet #4

Amy's Chewy Granola Bars. I was reminded of this recipe again this week so I made them. It is a recipe from one of my friends in Minnesota. Her name is Amy Young, but my family lovingly calls her Amy Yum because there are two recipes in particular that we love from her! Actually, I don't know if I love them or hate them. I love them because they are so good and I know all the ingredients that go into them. But, because they are "healthy" I can't stop eating them. Therefore, I also hate them!

Sweet #5

The bible app on my phone. I have an app that has lots of reading plans on it. I started using a chronological condensed plan that I love! My phone reminds me to do it every day at 1:00 (usually Callie's nap time.) Since I have that reminder, I don't have the excuse of forgetting to do my quiet time. And, my phone will even read it out loud to me if I want it to. Technology is amazing!