Happy Mother's Day

All of us at Mom2Mom want to wish all of you moms a wonderful Mother's Day. Our prayer for you is that your day is blessed and full of joy. We all know that there is no harder job on earth than that of being a mother. We also know that there is no job that brings greater joy, satisfaction, fulfillment and sometimes heartache. God created moms with a special ability to love our children in a way that no one else is even capable of. In turn, we have a special place in our children's hearts that no one else can fill. Happy Mother's Day to each one of you!!!

I'll leave you with this poem that was emailed to me this week....

Somebody

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby...that somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, 'normal' is history.

Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the first...that somebody doesn't have two or more children.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery....that somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten....or on a plane headed for Iraq or Afghanistan to fight for their Country.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married...that somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home...that somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her...that somebody isn't a mother.

Fruitful Friday - Leftover Bananas

One of our moms, Rachel T. put this great comment on one of the Fruitful Friday posts. It was so great I wanted to share it with you:

I love allrecipes.com, too. 

My latest favorite from their site is frosted banana bars with cream cheese frosting. Being a mom of a toddler I always have banana's on hand and usually don't eat them fast enough so I'm always looking for ways to use them up. Smoothies and muffins were getting old, so I found this - and it is yummy!

Frosted Banana Bars
Cream Cheese Frosting

Thanks Rachel!

If you have any recipes you would like to share...please send me an email, and I'll post it!

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful to be part of such an amazing church.

A church that is constantly looking for ways to reach out and share the love of Jesus and meet the spiritual and physical needs of our community.

A church that provides a safe environment for us to raise our children in the ways of the Lord; complete with a dynamic children's ministry that is staffed with great leaders who truly care about the children and families they serve.

A church that has dynamic worship and bible-based preaching.

A church that encourages each one of us to take personal responsibility for spiritual growth in our lives and not just rely on a Sunday sermon to make it happen.

A church that encourages community within the body of Christ by providing hundreds of small groups so that no one should ever feel they are going through life alone.

A church that hosts world-class conferences like the one being held this week. If you have never attended a CBC Conference I would encourage you to come out this week. The conferences really are life-changing events.

These are just a few of the reasons I am thankful for my church. What about you?
http://www.citybiblechurch.org/cbc-conference2

Mad Deal Monday - OMSI and Children's Museum

Just wanted you to know that the First Sunday of the month at OMSI is $2.

AND on Mother's Day the Children's Museum is FREE for mom's with their kid.

Prepare for a bit of a crowd, but these are great locations to enjoy with your children.

Thanks Joy!

Fruitful Friday - Root Beer Cookies

During Grandma's visit last month, she made these cookies with the kids...and it was a HIT! So much so, the kids shared them with their friends and now the mommies have been asking for the recipe. Here you go, enjoy!!

Root Beer Cookies

• 1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
  
• 1/2 Cup Margarine
  
• 1/4 Cup Butter
  
• 2 tsp. Root Beer Extract (McCormick's has a concentrated version)
  
• 1 Egg
  
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
  
• 1 3/4 Cup Flour
  
• 1/2 tsp. Soda
  
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
  

Cream Butter and Margarine, Sugar. Mix in Egg and Extract. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Place dough in refrigerator and chill.

Frosting

• 4 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
  
• 4 TBSP. Butter
  
• 1 tsp. Watkins Root Beer Flavoring (this brand is clear in color, allowing the frosting to remain light in color)
  
• 1 lb. Powdered Sugar
  

Cream Butter and Cream Cheese together and add flavoring. Begin folding in Powdered Sugar. Continue to add until a nice soft spread. Store in an air-tight container.

Drop Cookie Dough in teaspoon-size balls onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375* for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool and frost.

These cookies are amazing with a cup of coffee and taste best when fresh cooked. Store in an air-tight container to retain moisture.

Plans Derailed...And An Attitude Check

Is it just me, or do you ever have those times where you spend time making plans and getting all ready to have fun and those plans for fun get derailed because they are interrupted by real life?

Well,this past week was one of those times for me. My sister was coming from Colorado for a visit. She was bringing with her three of her children and two of her grandbabies. We had been busy for weeks making plans, and we were all set to have us some fun! Little did we know, our plans would have to be set aside since my niece’s baby ended up in the hospital, having surgery while she was here. (It ended well, but my niece had to delay their flight home and go back home this morning, two days after the rest of the group.)

Apparently when her doctor checked her last week before coming, her ear infection wasn’t showing yet or something. So we were quite shocked when the doctors at urgent care sent her across town to the children’s hospital because the infection had gotten into her bone and she was going to need surgery. Who even knew that an ear infection could get into the bone? It's so rare that even the doctors treating her had never seen it.

Anyway.....I have to admit, my first reaction to the news that she had to be admitted into the hospital was disappointment. Disappointment that she was so sick, but also that our plans for fun had been derailed. That sounds so selfish that I'm cringing even as I put it in writing. But don’t you worry, the Lord was quick to give me an attitude check and remind me that none of this was a surprise to Him. Jeremiah 29:11 came to my mind:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.
“They are plans for good and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.”

Is that as reassuring to you as it is to me? God knows the plans he has for each one of us. So, I redirected my thoughts to being thankful. Thankful that NOTHING is a surprise to God. Thankful that God’s plan for Tylee was that she was here in a city with a children’s hospital to have the best team of doctors to care for her. Thankful that I could be with my sister and niece during this crisis. And so incredibly thankful that the Lord is quick to remind me that He is in control.

Fruitful Friday - Nourishment

Today I am fasting...

When I sat down to write today's post, I was impressed with the word "Nourishment". Though I am not "nourishing" my body with food today, God is wanting me to ponder what it means to nourish myself. So I looked up the definition for this word:

Nourishment -

• That which sustains
• Something fit to be eaten
• To promote or sustain growth
• The source of the materials necessary to support life
• To supply with matter that promotes health and increase

As a woman, mother, wife, daughter, etc. there are many ways in which I can choose to nourish myself; body, soul and spirit. I am so blessed to live in a place where I actually have a choice of what I can eat. But today, I made the choice to abstain.

Rather than just eating something for the sake of eating, I want to stop for a moment and thank God for all of the types of nourishment I receive. Just like the different types of food nourish the body in different ways, God nourishes our spirits in different ways.

Carbohydrates...these are meant for fast energy to perform the average daily tasks.
Vitamins and Minerals...meant to supply body systems and organs with necessary components for operating properly.
Proteins...for slower released amounts of energy meant to sustain longer periods of work.

For me, God's Carbohydrates tend to be people. I am energized quickly by people. I love my family, my friends and even people I don't know. If people are involved, I can be motivated to do just about anything.

God's Vitamins and Minerals in my life is my daily devotions. And honestly, this looks very different from day to day. For me it is the regular input of God's truth in my life. Most of my daily thought life is centered on the little areas God is pointing out to me that need more of Him. It can be from a scripture I've read, a speaker I love who challenges me or even from the lessons I pick up on from daily life.

God's Protein...this is the meat and sustaining power of my life. I have to put in some effort to get this in my diet. Carbs are easy...they are everywhere!!! Even vitamins and minerals can be taken fairly easily with daily discipline. But Protein takes preparation, thought and time. For me, to get God's "protein power", I set aside time for a more intimate encounter with His Presence. I gather my ingredients of worship and word and take my time to sit with Him. Those are the times that are the "Slow Releasing" kind of nourishment!!

In the natural we cannot thrive on one type of nourishment alone. You can't have a diet consisting of only carbohydrates or only protein. Our relationship with God is much the same. We need all types of spiritual nourishment.

Today, I am choosing to fast. If I am careful to look at my life right now, I can see I am in need of some serious direction and vision from God. I am so thankful that I do not have to "live on bread alone, but rather on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." (Deuteronomy 8:3) I want some of the "Meat of God's Word" today.

In what different ways does God nourish your spirit?