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Peanut Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 31 October, 2013 No comment

My husband asked me the other night for something sweet. I asked what kind of cookies he would like and his response was: “Some sort of chocolaty, peanut buttery, nutty cookie goodness.” What was I supposed to take from that, he comes up with the funniest yet weirdest things and makes it sometimes difficult to produce what he is thinking. He is the type that gets a bee in his bonnet and will not be satisfied until he gets what he’s dreamt up. So I challenged his vision of a cookie and told him I would make them if he would give our son a LONG bath. (Cooper loves baths and can play forever; I also wanted some alone time in the kitchen)

Basically I took my Ultimate Chocolate Cookie recipe and tweaked it to add peanut butter and pecans.

Ingredients

¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened (I almost melt the butter entirely but leave a couple chunks)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I used Pecans)
1/2 package Semi-sweet chocolate chips

In my Kitchen Aid Mixer I combined the first 6 ingredients and cream really well until light and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients except nuts and chocolate chips and beat well. Stir in remaining two ingredients.

On a greased cookie sheet spoon cookies and bake for 8-10 minutes until light brown.

My husband LOVED these cookies and said they are thus far his favorite cookies that I make. “Perfectly soft, yet perfectly done,” he said.

(Sorry this photo is a bit blurry, I didn’t realize it until after the cookies were basically all eaten from the plate)

I actually froze quite a few cookies considering this recipe makes about 30-36 cookies and we tend to eat about 4 at a time. :)

Pumpkin Puree

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 31 October, 2013 No comment

It’s that time of year pumpkins, decorations, leaves, fall cooking and much more. We went to the pumpkin patch this past weekend and I picked a couple extra pumpkins specifically for baking with. I wanted to make pumpkin bread as my sister has the best recipe known to man and I figured fresh pumpkin would make it even better, if that’s even possible.

If you have pumpkins lying around your house, when you are done with them make sure and use them before you toss them. Make the puree and freeze if you are not ready to cook/bake with them yet. It freezes very well and they lay flat in the freezer taking up minimal space.

Directions:

Cut the pumpkin stem off and scoop out all the seeds; save the seeds and bake them for a healthy snack.

Cut in half and than quarters to make smaller pieces to fit on a baking sheet. Do not add an Olive oil if you want the purest form of puree.

Bake at 400 degrees for 60 minutes.

Let cool for 30 minutes and peel off the skin before it cools completely.

In a food processor add the chunks of pumpkin and puree; if it’s too thick add 1/4 cup of water at a time until you get a smooth base.

Spoon mixture into quart size plastic bags with 2 cups in each bag. This way you know exactly the amount per bag when thawing for cooking. Makes very good soups, muffins and breads.

Crisp Fall Weather

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 30 October, 2013 No comment

I LOVE Autumn. The cool, crisp air on a clear day while the leaves fall down around us, the crunch of the leaves beneath our feet as we bundle up for a walk with cocoa or coffee in hand. This is what makes me smile. I love summer but fall is a close next.

Soup simmering on the stove allowing the house to smell delightfully tasty with the warmth of blankets on our laps while the windows produce a slight chill allowing you to sink deeper into the couch with a good book in hand.

We headed outside today and you can see how my son enjoys the outside no matter what the weather holds. :) This little man melts my heart and can ALWAYS put a smile on my face. Oooo how I want to go kiss his chubby little cheeks while he’s sleeping right now, sweet baby. :)

Knows I’m trying to take a picture and refuses to look.

Our front yard

My view driving on our street. Mt Hood in the background.

I LOVE the BEAUTIFUL Autumn colors and playing in the crisp leaves with my little man.

Why Spend More…?

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 29 October, 2013 No comment

I must say, sometimes we worry about what people think of us…what brand is our clothing, what kind of a car do we drive, is our jewelry real, how big is our house, etc. We all compare on some level.

My husband has asked me more than a few times, “if we had all the money in the world, would you still be so thrifty?” I answered him almost immediately, with no hesitation, “absolutely!” This is a characteristic my husband does appreciate. Something drives me inside, when I find a great deal and know I could spend double the price at retail value. I wonder ALL the time, why people spend so much money for the same brand, same quality but for double the price.

I am very thrifty but thoroughly enjoy it. I love to hunt for the deals, and save extra cash. A couple places that people don’t realize has the higher end brands are places such as:

TJ Maxx: I prefer TJ Maxx over Ross most the time, but it honestly depends on what you are on the hunt for. TJ Maxx has the designer section for clothes that cost half the price. I’ve actually bought a couple pieces of clothing from Nordstrom and a month or so later found the same shirt for half the price at TJ Maxx. The trick is not that it’s lower quality, but that they buy the overstock from other clothing stores allowing the product to still sell, but at a lower cost. Just as a heads up, not ALL their clothes is designer brand, but they have a lot and they do have a specific location for designer brands. They also have great deals on home goods, perfume/cologne and handbags. (Click here if you want more information)

Ross: Very similar to TJ Maxx, but it depends on where you live. Living in the city you learn which stores has the most options. Designer brands actually go very quickly as they don’t keep the same line stocked 100% of the time; they take what they get. They also have very good shoes but it can be hit or miss. They have great home goods, and handbags. Both Ross and TJ Maxx have great deals on skin care and shampoo/conditioner, again it depends on what they have in stock at the time you visit, but I buy Bed Head shampoo/conditioner for $15 each, regularly $26 each.

Home Goods: They have great deals and really compete well with Pier 1.

Nordstrom Rack: Nordstrom Rack has great deals on shoes and clothing, but don’t buy Nike brand from Nordstrom Rack unless it’s on sale. You can get Nike at TJ Maxx and Ross for even less than the Rack.

Overstock.com: To be honest I forget about Overstock but need to remember more frequently the great deals they have and you don’t have to leave your home to find them.

Amazon/Ebay: Amazon is my choice over Ebay but they both are great to compare when looking for a particular product. I love Sephroa, it’s basically my earthly heaven. :) Although I have found if you look on Amazon beforehand, you can get most things, not all, for a better deal. You will not get your Sephora points, but you will save money. Check on Amazon/Ebay before heading to Sephora. I also buy cell phone cases, movies, and hair products that the salon charges an arm and a leg and save a lot of money.

Mysupermarket.com: You’ve heard me say before, that this is a newer website and I’ve used it and love it. It’s nice to get toiletries and pantry items without having to drive to five different stores for the same deal.

Local Boutiques: There’s a couple local boutiques in our area that have the cutest clothing and jewelry yet they aren’t in every store. You can find adorable clothing without the same shirt being in multiple stores across the US. My husband also buys me jewelry and I always get compliments on it, and they come from these boutiques.

Between all of these choices, I guarantee you will find something that will make you feel accomplished while your pocketbook thanks you, or shall I say your husband. :) These are important things to know if you really want to save hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year. Again, if you have time to hunt and enjoy the hunt, head to one of these stores and simply look around.

Let me know what you find!

Managing My Day as a Homemaker

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 27 October, 2013 No comment

When it comes to parenting only 10% is the “plan,” 90% is the parents and their consistency or lack thereof.

I saw today on the Katie Curick show about how daddy’s and mommy’s struggle with addictions whether that’s from alcohol, drugs, internet, etc. I was shocked how many moms actually turn to something to help mask the feelings they have. I think there is a massive expectation that being a mom will change your life for the good. Don’t hear me wrong, it will change your life for the good but when you are a homemaker and your toddler tells you “You’re not the boss of me” or says “no” and throws tantrums your day can get very exhausting and feelings of being unappreciated may sink in. Don’t allow those thoughts to overtake you. Or, you may be that mom who wasn’t planning on becoming a mom at all, or maybe not in the near future at least. You may be thinking you don’t “deserve this,” you still have a lot of life to live, a child wasn’t meant to happen until later.

What caught my attention even more is there was no discussion about the father. Why does the mom have to always be on her game and yet a father doesn’t? Why does the mom always know “what to do” and it’s okay for a father not to? Parenting is a team not a mom. Why is it okay for a father to drink alcohol while the mom doesn’t? This was so prevalent in the show. Men are the workers and they get to do what they want because the go to work all day, where as mom’s are a mom, so they always have to be on; their job isn’t consider as highly because they don’t earn a paycheck. My passion comes in right here. Parent’s are parents no matter their circumstance. You must step up to the responsibility. No “ifs, ands or buts.” Where is the sense of awareness coming from, what if your child needs to be rushed to the ER, is choking or simply needs to be played with and loved on? Can alcohol traumatize your child, absolutely? Why do we pretend alcohol is okay; is it because it’s so socially acceptable? My mind is baffled with how parents think its okay to “check out” for a few hours. I feel so strongly about this and would say you need to not have kids until you figure this out and if you are like my husband and I and didn’t have that choice, your child was quite a surprise, than step up and figure it out. Kids NEED our full attention and need to have their parents 100% alert all of the time. You have to become selfless when you have children, even more so than when you get married. This is a constant battle that we think “we deserve” something more. Where is this motto coming from and whose to say what we deserve. If I’m honest here, none of us deserve anything.

I don’t want to point the finger only at alcohol, but I do see the social acceptability is beyond my belief. I think people struggle deeply with alcohol as well as other things and are so naïve to the reality of this situation. I’ve seen what happens when a parent thinks it’s okay to check out; it’s not pretty! I had a conversation this morning with my girlfriend about the time we spend with our children; is it quality or quantity. You can check out by getting online, cooking, baking, drinking, or doing drugs. None of this is acceptable. I’ve seen unfortunately with our neighbors how important their “adult time” is, I choose not to partake in this activity. Being a mom is very challenging and does require strength and perseverance.

Please excuse me if I am being hard on this situation, although I don’t understand why we believe we deserve things and fight to receive it. Our time can be spent getting a pedicure, coffee, lunch, or dinner with a girlfriend, it does not need to involve alcoholic drinks. I’ve spent my time doing things I felt I deserved and now that I am a mom and a wife, I see things quite different as our roles take us to maturity whether we are ready for it or not.

Now enough of my tangent; lets get down to our schedules to help keep us feeling satisfied with out lives as mothers. Every mom struggles with how to manage their day, how they can make it the most productive and yet feel satisfied when you lay your head down at night is every woman’s dream. My husband jokes with me about making my mental checklists when I lay in bed at night; I’m guilty of it. I can’t fall asleep right away because I am making my mental list of what needs to be accomplished the following day and how to best approach it. If you haven’t seen the movie “I don’t know how she does it” with Sarah Jessica Parker, you need to see it, she does the mental checklist. I think this can be a big trigger for many mom’s as they do not know where to start in developing a productive day while balancing time with their children. Lets start with my daily schedule, I’m not saying I am great at this all the time, but definitely think it’s important to have a schedule laid out for the week.

My Week:

6:30 am: I wake up early to say goodbye to my husband, get my coffee and do my bible study before Cooper wakes up. If I don’t wake up before him, I have a very tough time making my Bible Study a priority as the day goes on.

7:30 am: I begin my research to update you all with my glorious words of wisdom :) and educate myself with the world around us. I also pay bills and take care of finances first thing in the morning.

8:30 am: Cooper wakes up. Eat breakfast together and have play time. Play dates, walking to the park, story time at the Library etc. (I try and have a couple hours outside of the home to get him outside in the back yard or out with some friends. Change of scenery)

10:30-11 am: Lay Cooper down for a nap and start preparing dinner plans. Clean the house

12:30-1 pm: Structured play time with Cooper when he wakes up. Run errands for the week.

3:00 pm: Lay Cooper down for a second nap and finish dinner plans. Take some “me” time and watch a TV show, read, listen to music, take a nap. Even if you take 20 minutes for yourself, enjoy it.

4:30 pm: Interactive playtime with Cooper. Play outside or at the park if we didn’t get to do so in the morning.

5:30 pm: Bath Time, we love killing time in the tub. He likes to make the entire bathroom an ocean; filled with water everywhere.

6:00 pm: Dinner time

7:00 pm: Bed Time for Cooper, read books, sing and go night night!

7:15 pm: Clean up kitchen, make my husbands lunch and relax!!!

Now our days can vary depending on what comes up in life. Today for example, we met my husband for lunch at work. This through off Coopers nap schedule completely, but it’s good for him now and again. They need to be flexible but also need their routine.

Throughout the day, you can see I structure my time to be productive while my son is sleeping. I do so, so I can play WITH him and grow his little brain. It’s more relaxing actually to not worry about cleaning or cooking while he is awake due to the structure of my day working so well, that I can also ENJOY my son while he is awake. It also allows him to not fuss because he wants to have someone to play with him. I’ve found if I am cooking dinner while he is awake, it can get uptight as he can demand all my attention yet dinner wont cook itself. Making time to play with our kids is also very crucial yet can’t be done all day. They need a balance. Playing alone is very important as well. Find what works for you and your child/children. You may have to alter your time frames accordingly. I am NOT a morning person at all, but have forced myself to get up early and go to bed early and it has worked very well for all of us.

It’s important for me to enjoy my day, feel fulfilled and relaxed as well as truly enjoying my time spent with my son. I know I’ve had too many days of “playing” with my son where I am present but preoccupied. When I realized this, I decided I need to start making some changes to help benefit our family. By doing so, I feel much accomplishment when I lay down at night knowing I had been blessed with my son all day, took care of our home, and prepared meals for my family. I have time for myself, my husband in the evenings and great enjoyment with my son throughout the day.

Remember our kids are little blessings from above who long to be loved and taught. Take advantage of the few short years we have with them.

Biggest Bang for your buck: Utilizing your day to make the most of it. Don’t let your kids life pass you by.

Cup O’ Joe

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 23 October, 2013 No comment

I LOVE my coffee. I NEED my coffee. In the morning it gets me going. Sad but true, my coffee is usually what gets me out of bed every morning, makes me wake up. Literally, it’s the excitement of knowing that I can have my coffee when I pull (sometimes tear) myself out of my comfy bed and scuffle out to the kitchen. It’ll be ok. I can pour my coffee and creamer and somehow I’ll have the strength to begin my day. My husband usually wakes up earlier, works out and gets the coffee brewing. Ummm, coffee is the best smell to wake up to on a cool crisp morning.

Since we have been visiting my family in ‘no-mans-land’ so we could attend my grandma’s memorial service, the busy days tend to run together and make chasing my son more tiring. My parents have an esspresso machine that makes the best lattes. Something about a homemade double (or triple) shot latte instead of a pot of coffee…well, there’s no contest! With many flavor choices available, and it being morning, I must choose hot and steamed with a thick, dense high cloud of foam, not iced. This seemingly little factor of an avaliable espresso machine makes it extra exciting for me to wake up in the morning knowing this special treat, right at my fingertips, will only last one more day. I try and take advantage of this glorious hot cup of “black gold” that brightens my perspective of waking up early.

Today is our last morning in ‘no-mans-land’ and I am sipping on my perfect latte, pausing to allow the taste and moment to linger. Earlier as I headed down stairs and straight to my mom’s kitchen to prepare this steaming cup, I wondered if fervent hope could somehow transfer this marvelous machine to our kitchen, mysterously by tomorrow morning. I think not.

It’s the little things that make me smile and get me through the day. :)

Simple Conviction

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 22 October, 2013 No comment

Do you ever realize that all of social media portrays a happy timeline? Facebook has this incredible timeline you can share with “friends.” Why is it that everyone on Facebook happens to have the most amazing family trips, family dinners, camping trips, and birthday parties. Do we ever see the cake our 4 year old got into, the camping trip that kept mom and dad up all night, the dinner party where the glass of wine shattered and spilt, and the awkward family dinner with tension that overtakes the conversations. All of this actually happened to someone I know, but the reality is we sweep it under the rug and post the picture that shows the kids smiling or the awesome new outfit we just bought. Do you get my drift?

Twitter is very similar, all the comments that are chipper or a putdown towards someone else to make ourselves feel better, keep the twitter world sailing smoothly.

My goal here is to display a life of pure honesty; laying out the good and the bad, the joy and despair, and the blessings and curses. The reality is every single one of us has, and will go through hurt and pain. The problem is the thought of feeling vulnerable, judge, persecuted, and unworthy fills our minds before we embark on the honesty train. I will take the stand and be real with the good and the bad because I want everyone to know they are not alone.

My simple conviction

The Hunt

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 21 October, 2013 No comment

One of the hardest things for me is lying in bed alone, helpless and in pain. Wishing I could change my circumstance but also somehow feeling peace from God that he is giving me the strength to get through. My heart aches as I watch my sleeping son, so innocent and pure. I do not want him to experience the pain in this world as my husband and I have. I would do anything to protect him from lying in bed, alone, helpless and in pain. I want to protect this little man so desperately.

As I watch his father, my heart continues the ache. I see the helplessness, fear, pain, depression, anger and hopelessness sink into him. It has officially overtaken him. My heart breaks because this world is so painful yet so incredible. There is this awesome hope and peace I long for my family to experience. I walked the path of rebellion, the path of despair, the path of hopelessness. I have been there! I am on the other side right now and wish others could follow in the steps of my words and truly experience the deep love of Christ. We search and hunt for a fulfillment of pure love and acceptance, we search our whole lives for this, yet God created this place for Him, but we will fight to our death sometimes to find it in anything and everything except Him.

“Pain is weakness leaving the body” I heard this quote and was taken aback by it. The reality is that trials are difficult and painful most of the time. What’s your initial response when you here “pain is weakness leaving the body.” Your circumstances today, the pain you experience, are you learning from it or dodging it?

We are all on a hunt, a hunt for something more. Are we ever satisfied with life; I mean really, do we ever feel complete contentment with our circumstances? We are constantly striving for more. What if we stopped and were thankful for the current day and what we have been blessed with. How would our circumstances change?

My husband is on a work trip traveling to Oklahoma. He sent me a few pictures from the tornados yesterday. Strip malls completely emptied out and standing metal is all that remains. Wood piles, signs, and belongings all stripped away. Houses crumbled with only foundation remaining. Cars destroyed. This was a reality check for me. Even though I am not present in Oklahoma, the pictures did enough for me to realize how quickly we can lose everything, literally. Today he sent me pictures on his way back to the airport of the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial site; such a sad devastating situation yet a beautiful memorial. This was a good reminder as to the “stress” in the day and if I lost everything, what would remain and still hold importance; my family. That’s all that I truly care about even in the midst of distractions.

These are my simple thoughts for the evening.

Carnival Cruise

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 19 October, 2013 No comment

We started off our ten day trip on a cruise to the Bahamas with Carnival. Neither my husband nor I have been on a cruise before. We have heard good things about it from my parents and my sister and her husband though they were all on different cruise lines. We took the chance and had a blast.

I am so thankful I upgraded our room to a balcony suite as my son needed a separate space to fall asleep at night without us huddled on the bed in complete silence starring at one another while he plays until he falls asleep; could be 30 minutes. To us, it was worth the extra money to enjoy a balcony with our coffee in the morning and dessert in the evening. We also have free 24 hour room service which was utilized to the max. We had an awesome view and the first morning as we arrived in Freeport, I woke up early as the time change threw me off a bit. It was simply gorgeous, I couldn’t fall back asleep with all the excitement of docking in a country I’ve never been but always wanted to go. I was so excited to be there with my family and explore the island and enjoy a warm beach that is beautifully bright blue; something we don’t have at home.

Michael and Cooper

Freeport

The ocean was amazing, Cooper couldn’t get enough of the water it was great! We walked around exploring the many shops and laid on the beach and let Cooper be over stimulated while he tossed the sand up in the air over and over again.

We also docked at Nassau the following day, which I personally enjoyed the most. It was a smaller island with more shops and people. Definitely a different vibe, Freeport was more industrial but still a great place to see; both completely different. Nassau has the giant hotel Atlantis which is basically it’s own city as is. We were planning on going to the aquarium at Atlantis but it was $90 and we only had 3 hours before we had to head back to the ship. It wasn’t worth the money for me as we still had Sea World and Universal Studios back in Orlando to hit up. We enjoyed walking around without a schedule and again hitting up the beaches that are BEAUTIFUL. We got our fill of the sun and warm ocean water while we were gone. Although I must say once we headed back to Florida, the ocean water was basically brown. It probably was pretty normal and beautiful but having seen the blue waters first; it left us feeling dirty on the Florida Coast. The water was just as warm but definitely a different look.

While on the ship there was a lot I enjoyed but A LOT I was pretty unhappy with, this made the balcony even more worthwhile. The atmosphere of the cruise was very “frat house-ish” but with 40 year olds. The main deck where we dined for meals also had the main pool and hot tubs. Every night it was filled with 20-30 men and a handful of women all drunk and acting very inappropriate. The last night was the worst. They had buckets and buckets of beer spread across the side of the pool and one man dropped his swim trunks 2-3 times showing more than we bargained for. Two women also put beer between their chests as men lined up to drink from it. It got out of hand and many families were all disappointed as they had to explain to their kids what was being unfolded before their young eyes. I was thankful Cooper wasn’t old enough to understand but at the same time, I had no interest in watching their drunkenness while headed to dinner. The first night at our formal dinner with Kenny G playing and dim lighting and they interrupted our dinner welcoming us aboard and then proceeded to have the staff dance to “Apple Bottom Jeans, Boots with the Fur,” while grinding up against polls as they moved throughout the restaurant ending the dinner with classical music and dim lighting. My husband and I were appalled as this was the beginning of our cruise and ending with drunk parties for all to see.

Now let me say, the staff was incredible, they knew our names from the moment we arrived and our room Steward was amazing. He would leave things for Cooper all throughout the day in our room and would always play with him when he saw us walking by. In the dining hall, there were a couple young men who absolutely loved Cooper and would bring him treats and play with him while we ate dinner. They were all so nice and it was great when we got off the ship as we could do our own thing, and aboard the ship we used our balcony to the max. Hindsight, the money was worth more than we expected as we spent a lot of time in our room on the balcony being with our family.

On the balcony

Coopers friend in the dining room

All in all, we had a great time and the Islands were amazing. The staff was great but the atmosphere was not family oriented as I had expected it to be. We will cruise again but definitely would cruise on the Disney Ship as we know that will be kid friendly. We also want to do an Alaskan cruise but with a different cruise line. Carnival simply wasn’t for us but was worth the experience and we still had fun.

We enjoyed lightening storms from afar with no land to break up the night sky; it was beautiful.

Fear

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 18 October, 2013 No comment

The knots begin to form in the pit of my tummy, racing butterflies through my heart and a hint of nausea running through my brain. This is what I call Fear. I have such a problem with being fearful that it can paralyze me if I allow it. I have to catch myself and talk through the feelings welling up inside me. I’ve spoke previously that everybody is driven by fear on some level or another but some people (ie ME) struggle with it on a frequent basis.

Today was a beautiful Autumn day as I began packing for our five day extravaganza or shall I say, the family reunion while we all join to celebrate the life of my grandma as she passed away this last week. I love my grandma dearly and my heart is sad for us left behind but I have confidence she is with my grandpa and Jesus waiting for us all to join her in heaven.

With that said I have been prepping and getting excited to head out and see the family this evening. I have had many conversations with my husband about my fear and just as he has things that drive him in one direction or another, fear is a frequent conversation. He simply doesn’t understand the depths of my struggle, nor do I expect him to, but we are on completely different ends of the spectrum. This is where grace and understanding are required in a marriage. It’s interesting how we all have triggers that make us want to run from a conversation and our defenses pick up immediately. Have you ever thought how our brain can process thousands of thoughts in less than five seconds and our reactions come before we even have the chance to think if it’s the right reaction or not. It actually is a fascinating concept. Needless to say, in the middle of a conversation with my husband this afternoon, we were joking around and within seconds, literally seconds, the defenses came up. Sometimes we think it comes from left field, but we all know our triggers and our spouse’s triggers as well. Even though I approached him in a very respectful manner, his immediate reaction was defensive and then moments of silence.

The frustration now presently taking over my body, “I approached him respectfully, quietly, and honestly, why the heck is he reacting,” I think to myself. As I go on with my day, I have this unsettled feeling residing inside me, even though I am trying to move on and not let him affect my response. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling, the fear was not only bubbling up inside me; it was a raging boil. I had to calm myself wondering why it had that extreme effect on me. I began to realize God is in control of our circumstances whether they are good or bad, he is in control and allows everything to proceed through his hands. EVERYTHING that touches our lives, he has already approved it. When I thought that through, my fear began to be stilled, the quiet waters as I previously known as a raging boil just seconds ago. I know I have to trust the Lord in ALL THINGS, so if I truly believe that, than my response needs to leave my fear in the hands of my Heavenly Father. I am responsible for my actions from that moment forward, not his.

I’m not claiming that this is an easy response, but it truly is amazing how God can quickly shake the fear inside me. Fear is not from the Lord, and it has a strong hold on my life that I am in the process of releasing. I’ve been in the midst of the fire with my fear for honestly, a couple years. I’ve had fear all my life, but the last couple years have really ignited the fire to unleash full force. Due to my husband respectfully talking this through with me, I have been standing face to face that this does have a control on my life that is not healthy. I am a clay pot being molded, we all are. It does not happen overnight, a beautiful pot takes time to be refined and fill in the cracks; don’t’ we all want to be moldable and teachable? This was the reality of my fear today.

Moment of Truth:

Psalms 91