During their "down" time...

Remember these two little cowboys...??

Well, in case you were wondering what a cowboy does during quiet time when there are no cattle around...

I asked Liam what happened... "well, a cowboy has got to rope something, Mommy!"

(by the way, if you are wondering what the paper on the front of him is, he will tell you he is a "rodeo cowboy" like his friend, Jake. He was even resourceful, taking tape from one of the drawings in his art gallery to tape it to his shirt.)

A Lesson on Love, Sin, and Forgiveness

He called out to me that he had gone poop. It took me only a couple seconds to remember that I hadn't thrown a diaper on him before he went in his room for his "quiet time". I went over to his room, and he was naked from the waist down. His room was a mess. There were poop stains on his trash can. His underwear on the floor and shorts in another corner. I never raised my voice, but berated him for the next 15 minutes as I had to clean it up. Him. His underwear. Socks. Jeans. Trash can. Floor. Coloring Pages. Paper towels. Storage totes. My anger increased as I found more and more. He had peed too. Why hadn't he told me he needed to go? No, he couldn't use the excuse that there was no bathroom in his room, because he had told me just an hour before that he had to go. I banished him to his bed, told him he had lost the privilege of quiet time until further notice. Then I left.

And then I felt convicted. Sure, I hadn't raised my voice in anger (which in itself was a step in the right direction for me), but I also hadn't been too kind with my words. Even before I texted my mother, who told me I should show mercy, I was already starting to realize that even though he did wrong, so did I. I needed to apologize.

So I headed back in his room and sat down on his bed next to him. He looked up at me and said,

"Don't worry. I forgive you, Mommy."

Ouch.

I asked him if we could talk. He said I could snuggle with him. So we snuggled and I apologized. And we talked. And although I'm still a bit irked that he regressed to such a stunt, I'm thankful we were able to apply a Biblical lesson to it all. Poop and Sin. They both stink. When we do it, we can't clean/cover it up on our own, no matter what we use or how hard we try. It just kind of spreads and makes everything worse. We need divine help (because in Mommy's case, although she can clean up, she needs God's grace to manage her temper and words) and we need to admit our faults.

He got it.

I'm so thankful that although I'm an imperfect parent, I'm partnered with a perfect God whose love is unconditional. As Jill Savage points out in my current read,  "Unconditional love stays steady despite the circumstances. It believes the best and sees the loved one for who that person can be, rather than who that person is right now. Much of the time, love is also undeserved. That's what makes God's love for us a perfect love." I'm thankful that Gods perfect love was bestowed upon us through the death of His Son, and is lavished upon us daily. I'm thankful for His grace, forgiveness, and second (and more!) chances. im thankful for the opportunity to learn to daily exhibit and let His perfect love shine through the cracks of my imperfections and weaknesses.

Thank you Lord for life's lessons.
But perhaps please spare me this one next time. :)

Don't Mess with Us!

Much to my mother's chagrin, my husband, true to his country roots, does not always lock the door. I do. :)

But even if intruders get past this first line of defense, well...

they will have to mess with this...

don't these cowboys and knights look scary?

(knight helmet troubles aside...) 

Speak softly and carry a big stick sword. :)

I've been getting spoiled lately...

Life in an Art Gallery

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in an
Art Gallery??

Should I be concerned that he is a bright-eyed squirrel and I'm a ferocious
tyrannosaurus rex?
I hope that's not how he pictures my parenting!!

The latest Patch the Pirate song

 

He made a recipe for me... it makes "real good hamburgers"

"Look Mommy, I ran out of tape, but I used glue... and it worked!"

 

It may not have the typical white-washed walls and quiet ambiance, but if you are ever up for it, our gallery is always open for visitors and the resident artist will give you a personalized tour!

And you may even be able to take home an original autographed drawing, or get the artist to snap a picture of you viewing his gallery!

Book Review: Bread and Wine

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last,
"what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh.
"What do you  say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
"It's the same thing," he said.

-A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

So I jumped on the band wagon. A few friends had read this book and enjoyed it, and when I saw it offered on the blog review website, I took the bait. Faith. Food. Family. Fellowship. The four essential F's to life that I've always joked around about with my friends. All in one book. Not only do I get to read a book on new recipes, but if my husband is really lucky, I build up the confidence to have people over more often! Win-Win, right?!

 My husband will tell you I'm a bit a lot like Pooh bear, so the back cover and introduction of this book was quite intriguing.  I love food, struggle with cravings (though I am sure my pregnant/nursing appetite does not help the matter), debate whether I am oft times committing gluttony, and enjoy reading (and trying) recipe after recipe. I feel like the kitchen is the closest thing to working in a lab that I'll ever come to now that I'm a mother. Maybe that's why I wear chemistry goggles when I cut onions and love using the hood vent whenever I think it is the least bit necessary.

 Niequist, in her introduction, writes that "food is a language of care, the thing we do when traditional language fails us... it's the thing that connects us... our sense of home and family...". So true. Currently on the podium in the church foyer, there are four lists for meals: one for a baby, one for the family of a mother with cancer, one for a family who lost their home in a fire, and one for Wednesday night fellowship dinners preceding church. One of the things I love about food is that it is often the only time our family is together each day if my husband is out of the hospital in time. And in those few minutes of the chaos of feeding my family, there is happiness that we are all together.   Add to that my hesitancy (due to intimidation and insecurity) to host and you've got an instructional winner.

Bread and Wine is Shauna Niequist's latest book about focusing on the haven created when people are brought around the table for food and drink, because food connects people and shows that you care about them. Each chapter is an individual essay of her life, usually ending in a recipe that pertained to that story. In addition, the chapters are divided into four parts to make it easier for book and cooking clubs (discussion questions are also included).

To say I loved this book is an understatement. It's something I needed in the chaos of my current life. It was a paradise I could get lost into as I read her recipes, felt her emotions, and experienced her life for a few minutes while I nursed Callum. I loved that they were essays, because about one is all the time I got before my boys would run into the room and awaken me back to reality. An essay was all I needed to retreat into a serene environment when I was up for a few minutes in the middle of the night and trying to stay awake; each essay takes only a brevity of your time and it was usually followed by an amazingly delicious sounding recipe that made my mouth water and caused me to wish it wasn't midnight and that I had those ingredients on hand. (Disclaimer: I may have made a run to Trader Joe's to pick up a few ingredients after reading certain chapters).

For me it was both an inspirational encouraging and chastising read, and I've already recommended it to quite a few friends.

To read my review for Bread and Wine, by Shauna Niequist, click here...

Update: And Joel is so thankful at the results that this book has had on our entertaining others in our home... not too mention my new go-to recipe for breakfast cookies (though I've adapted it a bit).

A few snapshots of the boys

I thought maybe with there being so much heartache in my Dad's family right now, we could use some pictures to bring a smile to their faces...

... so here are a few we snapped of the boys wearing matching shirts that Dana and Beth gave us. They didn't cooperate too well; Joel had situated Callum between the two boys, but Liam kept goofing off, causing Callum to slide,  and when Callum would flail his arms, Aiden thought he was going after his puppy chow. :)

 

 

We finally got a little bit smarter and had them lay down. This is the best we got... :)

Liam continues to pray that since Jesus held Ed's hand and took him back to heaven, that God will give Papa a new baby brother. Gotta love the innocence of the child. :)

Virkler Family Vaca

The vacation started with a Bahler reunion in Remington, where we were able to catch up with many of Joel's uncles, aunts and cousins. Then after church on Sunday, we all headed to Monticello where we spent the next few days hanging out together in one home- crazy, but a blessing :) Although most of my time was spent eating and sitting on a couch (yes, the life of a nursing mother is that exciting!), the kids had fun playing down at the beach (minus the sharks!), swimming in the indoor pool, having devotions and roasting marshmallows with Grandpa (Liam learned 3 new Bible verses!) and just spending time together.

 Out of 21 pictures, the only one that had all the adults looking at the camera

 Looking for frogs

 Trying to catch frogs

 Our little group- (Jenna and I ran CC and track together in high school)

 Drinking real DF hot cocoa and eating pb!

 The simplest snacks are the yummiest!

 This sign led to all the cousins believing that there really were sharks in the lake

 An additional obstacle in hole #1... :)

 Where did the ball go?!?!

 Enjoying the cool "brook" with his cousin Ali

 All tuckered out from mini-golfing

 Testing out the driving range... with a putter

 Day 1 of swimming... he wanted a vest, arm floaties and a tube around him!

 The hammock down at the beach

 Looking for buried treasure on the beach in the backyard

 Devotions and prayer with Grandpa... my son really did enjoy himself, despite the scowl!

 Three great sister-in-laws!

 Ruthie and Callum :)

 The brothers (minus Joel who fell asleep early this night) gaming together

 And of course in this technology age, whenever you saw a group of cousins together, you usually found an iphone/ipad in the center... sigh.