Tomorrow...

I've got all sorts of crazy mixed feelings. (None of which involve anything related to sadness, though!)

Tomorrow at 3:00 we will be meeting to officially close on our new home - nearly 4 months after first stepping foot in the perfect house.

...

D: "What do you think, Linds?"
L: "It's perfect."

...

I'm anxious. Yep. I think "anxious" is just the right word to encompass my emotions.

I'm sitting in an almost completely packed house. If something goes wrong tomorrow...

Or if the funds just aren't there...

So I'm writing this post to request prayer. Prayer is so powerful! And so is trusting in the only One who is truly worthy.

Please pray:

• that closing will go smoothly and quickly (Derek has Micro Soccer Academy at 5!)
• that the timing for everything involving money going out will coordinate with money coming in (no bounced checks!)
• that God will continue to miraculously (yes I believe in miracles!!!) provide
• that we will not waver in trusting Him
• UPDATED: We desperately need a washer and dryer!

I've heard this quote several times recently, I can't resist using it:

"From your mouth to God's ears!"

This trusting thing has been so hard and so amazing at the same time! I was so proud of my husband the other day when he called to tell me he was on his way to the insurance company to pay for home owners insurance. He asked what we should do as we didn't have the money to pay for it. I was stressing just a little. Suddenly he said, "I'm just going to write the check."

That was that. So far God's got it covered!

Derek said later that doing that was the scariest thing he's ever done. Not moving halfway across the country. Not spending 6 weeks in Ukraine. Not preaching in front of hundreds of people.

No. Trusting God without the faintest idea of how He would work it out. That's scary.

And oh so rewarding!

THANK YOU for your many prayers!!!

((Don't worry, picture update of the house will come as soon as possible!!))

Truth vs. Experience

A Daddy Draft.

Biblical authority has been the foundation of my life and beliefs. It is Truth; it is trustworthy; it is the Word of God; it is alive. Sunday and Monday I was on a Spiritual Retreat where the majority of believers, and the man who was teaching, blended the Bible with their experiences. This made me very cautious and uncomfortable. How can we trust in our experiences? How can we know we are not being deceived? I heard grand stories of God’s healing power and His prophetic words and visions given to people. I heard stories of new revelation from God and miracles that I thought didn’t exist anymore. These stories have challenged me to step back and examine what I truly believe.

During our retreat I was indirectly referred to as arrogant, stubborn, and a Bible idolater. As I stand back and begin to process all that was shared at the retreat I am beginning to think that there may be some truth to these statements. I am willing to admit that I am still just a child spiritually and I have much to learn. I am still very reserved about listening to people talk about healings and prophecy and revelation from God; however, if the Word of God is truly ALIVE, shouldn’t we be able to experience it’s power in our lives? What does that look like? What does it feel like? While this retreat has been very challenging for me, one thing is certain, I am hungry for an opportunity to truly experience the Living Word of God in my life.

The Letter B

One day when I was trying to take a quick nap, I got the great idea of starting school with Marie. Then I finished my nap.

We're focusing on one letter a week. She's doing so well and I'm so proud!

Here's a handful of things we did recently while learning the letter B:

She painted a picture of a butterfly that I printed from here.

We read a verse that starts with the letter B. Isaiah 53:5 "But He was wounded for our transgressions." Marie got this book for Christmas. It's so cute hearing her say Isaiah. This has been a great way to help her with diction and to teach her about Jesus!

The verse book came with a corresponding coloring book.

I printed these butterflies, also from here. (We're running very low on colored ink, hence the different shades of pink butterflies).

I was so impressed with her. She started matching them up without me telling her to. And she had no trouble doing it!

Another gift she got for Christmas was this button set. "B-b-b-button." She's doing so well matching the colors! She still really struggles with the names of colors, though.

While this was only week 2, it's been so much fun so far! She loves getting the special attention and I love giving it to her. It's been fun to come up with a "curriculum" for her and find fun activities online.

It's really helped me to start seeing everything as a learning opportunity. Like today I explained to her triangles when I cut her pb&j into triangles.

I just love watching her learn! I'm so excited (and of course a bit nervous) about homeschooling.

I'm so thankful for my job :)

((Speaking of homeschooling, why have you decided to/not to homeschool? My reasoning to come in a future post))

The Jacobs Journal turns 1!

I remember when I decided to switch to Blogger from Xanga. I mean seriously, it was like, 3 days ago!

But it was actually a whole year ago.

Where's the pause button????

photo credit

Please let me know if you find it. I mean a functioning one.

So over Christmas break I typed up this post and scheduled it. I had extra time so I was working ahead. I thought that the Pioneer Woman Chicken Salad Recipe post was far enough ahead with the most views that I could safely talk about it here.

I kept a casual eye on the stats and still the delicious recipe was in the lead until suddenly...

BAM!

The "Super Emotional" post left that scrumptious recipe post in the dust! In one day! What's the deal, people?

Actually it's kinda flattering that you all picked a post that had no help from an outside source like the famous Pioneer Woman. My curiosity just has the best of me.

What did I do right with that post?

• Was it the title? Are you drawn to the possibility of a mommy-rant?
• Was it the picture? It's a pretty awesome pic taken by my "old fashioned" Verizon enV3.
• Did you sense the coming house update? It's been so encouraging to have so many excited with us! Thank you. :)

Whatever it was, I'm glad you stopped by and I hope you were encouraged by your visit :)

Come again!

Happy Blogiversary to the ol' Jacobs Journal.

Italian Stir Fry

The recipe card says "Zesty Chicken and Pasta." But it's actually Italian Stir Fry. I decided.

I don't have step by step photos because I didn't think of it. But while we were eating, after Derek said "I love this meal," I decided to take a quick pic of the final result and share with you! I'm telling you it's so yummy and so easy you will thank me later.

The original recipe is from Kraft.com.

What you need:

• 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in 1 in. pieces
• 1/2 c. Italian dressing, split
• 2 c. broccoli florets
• 1/2 c. thinly sliced onions
• 1 1/4 c. chopped red peppers
• 1 T chopped fresh parsley
• Cooked pasta

What you do:

1. Cook chicken pieces in 1/4 cup dressing on med-high heat until there's no pink.
2. Add the veggies and parsley. Cook until tender.
3. Toss with hot pasta and another 1/4 cup dressing

Tips:

The first time I made this it was rather bland. So I added:

• Chicken seasoning
• Italian seasoning 
• Significantly more dressing than it calls for 
• Crushed hot peppers

Also, I have only used dry parsley. Fresh parsley would probably boost some serious flavor, also! Basically, be generous with everything that has flavor and you'll have a delicious dish!

If you make/have made this meal and have tips, please share!

Enjoy!!

Super Emotional

Ugh.

I hate days like today.

And it's all my fault.

Here's a quick ride on my emotional rollercoaster:

Last night Marie was doing some serious sleep walking/talking. We've only recently realized that she's sleep walking and last night it creeped me out. Not only because sleep walking is creepy, but also because the stairs up to her room are definitely NOT child friendly... or person friendly in general. This house was so stupidly constructed.

Anyway

She was also sleep talking/yelling/whining which we I listened to through the monitor for quite sometime (Derek always manages to sleep through everything!) before it eventually woke Jack up (who still sleeps in our room bc we only have one monitor and I'd never get any sleep if he slept upstairs anyway).

Mr. Stubborn has learned much from his big sister already... He refused to go back to sleep without nursing.

Finally, about 4am, when all was quiet, I said a prayer just before drifting off. I've said this prayer many times and in God's own perfect timing, He answered with a beautiful yes first thing this morning!

After 6 long months of searching and waiting, we finally have the loan money to close on our beautiful new home! Our children will sleep on the same level as us, and neither will be in our room!

So this should result in a wonderful day, right??

Quite the opposite. Oh my word. Satan didn't even have to try hard.

Some days I'm just not fit to be a momma.

Thank You, God, that Your compassion never fails and your mercies are new every morning! (Lam. 3:22-23)

I can't just deal with the pain anymore, as I know it's playing a huge role in my irritability. I'm headed to the oral surgeon in the morning to hopefully find out the pain is a dry socket which he said will be fixed with a shot. I can handle that. Just one more night (Lord willing!)

Marie and I have been doing school! It's been fun! Hopefully I'll post some things we're doing soon!

Until then I'll be soaking in God's mercy, loving on my babies, and packing! :)

You may now unhook your seatbelts and exit the Emotional Rollercoaster to your left. Thank you.

Why do they call them "Wisdom Teeth"??

I just searched for the past 10 seconds to find out why on earth those wretched things are called "wisdom teeth." No explanation found.

I think they should be called, "Fallen-world-teeth" because they seem to have no other purpose but to cause pain and cost money! I bet if Adam and Eve hadn't introduced sin, we would not have wisdom teeth.

or

Maybe we have wisdom teeth that force their way through our already full mouths in our 20's so that we can relate better to our 6 month old while he is teething...

nah.

I don't know why we have wisdom teeth or why they're called wisdom teeth, but God definitely used this whole experience to teach me to trust Him. And as always, He proved faithful.

(I just spent a lot more than 10 seconds trying to find the verse I wanted to post here and just can't seem to find it!)

God provided the money through some dear friends, the formula and bottles through family, and has allowed nursing to continue without a hitch. The 3 things I was most concerned about.

Thank You, Jesus.

Psalm 92
¹ It is good to praise the LORD
   and make music to your name, O Most High,
² proclaiming your love in the morning
   and your faithfulness at night.

Vaca Highlights in Photos

Celebrating 5 Beautiful Years...

Family Time...

 Jesus' Birthday...

Chuck E Cheese Playdate...

 Best Friends...

Simply Being Together...

A Lineage of Grace

Francine Rivers is my favorite author. She's an excellent Christian writer, but that's not the only thing that draws me to her fantastic books. She does some serious studying before she writes her fictions and fills her books with accurate history. I love history when it's interesting to learn!

So I got 2 sets of books for Christmas this year and have been thoroughly enjoying A Lineage of Grace series. So I thought I'd tell ya a little about it.


 

I just finished the first 2 books and just love all that I'm learning! She took women in the Bible and study of history and brought these women to life. Even though I've read these stories a hundred times straight out of Scripture, I never really tried to understand these women and how they must have felt and what they must've thought.

The 2nd book is based on Rahab, the prostitute who hid the Israelite spies in Jericho. In return, the spies promised to protect her and all in her house. (Joshua 2, 6).

I don't want to spoil the story for you (even if you already know it!) but one thing that hit me while reading this was how Rahab, who was part of the line of the Messiah, has a whole passage in the Holy Bible devoted to her. The Israelites didn't need to send spies into Jericho. They had already defeated countless others and didn't need a couple of soldiers scoping things out when God already knew exactly what He was going to do. God sent those spies for Rahab - a prostitute. What Francine Rivers took from this was that Rahab asked God for salvation. She received it.

At the end of each book (in the set I got) there are a handful of Bible studies on the passages covered in the book. God did His usual and spoke to me through His Word and as a result, I found peace during a time of anxiety -

James 1:5 "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

Thank You, God.

I highly recommend the A Lineage of Grace series.

Has anyone else read these books or any of her other books? What do you think? Can you recommend any of her other books??

Goodbye Vacation

Tomorrow we visit wonderful New Life. Then we stuff all of our belongings (new and old) into our SUV and head west.

It shall be bittersweet.

We've had SO much fun the past week and a half. I've loved relaxing and reading. I've loved not cooking. I've loved sleeping in as the inlaws played with Marie. I've loved spending time with the inlaws and my precious friends. It has been a sweet, sweet time.

I'm sad to leave. But that is not the main reason for the "bitter" part of leaving. The following schedule is why I'm really dreading getting back home:

Monday: Chiropractor
Tuesday: Pediatrician and MOPS
Wednesday: unpack and clean
Thursday: Wisdom teeth removal
Friday - Saturday: recover as fast as possible
Sunday: Baby dedication class and Church

And soon after that, all 3 of Derek's jobs will be back in full swing.

It's like the calm before the storm...

Clinging to every last bit of vacation I can! Happy New Year!