Numbering Days

These past few days I have been pondering Psalm 90:12. I am not sure exactly why that verse keeps coming to mind, but I am starting to wonder if maybe I need to learn the truth in it and put the words into practice....

Teach us to number our days aright,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

I know I am not "over the hill" yet (I am not even sure what the official "over the hill" age is). Maybe as one ages in years, one starts to wonder how much of a difference your teeny tiny life is making in this great big CRAZY world. This past year it has been made more clear to me then ever before that life is a vapor and truly we have no promise of tomorrow here on earth. Am I going to let this thought cause anxiety in me, or am I going to go out there and live each day by God's grace .... doing what He wants?

If I am honest, I spend WAY too much of my brain power ( which might be fading due to too many blonde highlighting sessions) on things that don't really matter. I want to be wiser like this verse says. Wiser with my words, my thoughts, how I express myself to others and the list goes on.

I love these words from the Mandisa song "Waiting for Tomorrow"

I can't live my whole life wasting

All the grace that I know you've given

Cause you made me for so much more than

sitting on the sidelines.

The sideline is definitely not a place that I want to be. It seems inviting to think about just chillin out and definitely not as much "work". Some days being obedient is just a drag; especially when I try to get it all done in my strength. However, when I recall all that I have been given FREELY, that is when I can find the energy to go out and do what has been asked of me. And really, what has been asked of me is nothing, absolutely nothing....

Chefs in the making!

The two older girls have been wanting to make us dinner completely "on their own" for a little while. I most certainly am not going to argue with someone cooking me dinner so that idea was a definite winner! Last week in the Safeway produce area, they found a bunch of recipe cards with pre-printed recipes and picked out a few to try. Then I was given a grocery list and told to stay out of the kitchen while they were cooking.:) Below is the menu they created for us. All their own idea I might add.:)

Here they are with their menu.

1st Course: Minty Fruit salad. This was delicious I must say! The only disappointment to them was that the minty glaze that was supposed to be on the on the top was burned on the stove so they couldn't use it. The reason it was burned: A bottle of olive oil and 2 bottles of flavored vinegar somehow mysteriously fell out of a cupboard during the cooking fiesta and shattered all over the kitchen floor. A shore forty-five minutes later, after their dad and I had finished cleaning the splattered mess up, they realized that they had left the minty glaze for the salad on the stove and it was now "minty crystals".:) So many good life lessons learned this afternoon. Everything turned out fine and most importantly we all had a good laugh about it.

2nd Course: Grilled Corn Tomato Cups. These were actually Avocado cups because we aren't big fresh tomato fans around here. These were awesome as well and was so impressed with their idea to hollow out avocados to use as the "bowl".

3rd Course: A Grape Vinaigrette salad: Yummy!

Main Course: Homemade tacos with all the fixings. They actually were bean burritos because some of the glass from one of the bottles that fell unfortunately landed in the meat. Again, very good.

Elani gave the meal a thumbs up!

Dessert: Fruit Sorbet and Ginger cookies. We will be enjoying these tomorrow night as the meal and the spill took a little longer to prepare then they had planned. Life doesn't always go like we plan and there are little mishaps along the way; I think this is the main lesson that they learned tonight. Like their dad said: " It doesn't matter how the meal turns out, as long as you come out of it smiling". And they did.

Kiersten's quote of the night after making dinner :" I think I just need to go take a nap".

Maddie :"It is alot of work to cook for this many people".

Ya think???

Packing in the fun, summer is almost over.....

The long, hot August days are coming to an end quickly I am afraid. I feel the need to try to be outside as much as possible in order to soak up enough Vit D filled rays to carry me through the long Montana winters. We camped out this weekend with several good friends. Holland lake is such pristine, peaceful place to spend time and the weather couldn't have been better. Making memories....

Campfire time with my two little ones.Malea at the base of Holland Lake Falls. She has become such a good little hiker. Last year at this time she would have been not too thrilled to walk all the way but this year she beat us up there!

Not sure what Elani is thinking in this picture. :) On the way to the falls.

Four girls in the lake. Hours of swimming time before we had our taco in a bag dinner. (Frito bags with chili on top and other toppings).YUM!!

Now this would be good family Christmas card picture, don't you think? Had to get a silly one in. I love my family and I love all the memories we make together.