To be...

A while back I was asked what kind of woman I want to be. And frankly, I've thought about it here and there, but when I actually sat down to write it, I was surprised at how much like my mother I want to be. So here's to you Mumsie, for raising a daughter that could only wish to live in your shadow.

"I've always wanted to be an "artsy" person, and considering I've already achieved that, :P I hope to have it transferred into several aspects of my life.

I want to be the kind of wife/woman who decorates her home and her life with color, joy, and a love for all things living. I like the color green, because it represents living things. It's vibrant and clean.

I want to use it all throughout my home.

But I also want to BE green. Sorry if that's cheesy, but I see no reason with using fewer chemicals and rating organically.

I want to be healthy and fit, spontaneous and playful for my husband.

I want to cook for and with him, take long walks and have tickle fights.

I want to do little things for him all day long that brighten his day.

I want to cherish, honor, and respect him.

I want to have a big family and raise my children inter fear and admonition of the Lord.

I want them to be free to be themselves.

I want them to not have to live the way I did middle school, obsessed with what people thought of me, and whether or not I was worthy.

I want to show them what an amazing gift each if them are in the sight of the Lord and their parents.
I want to bake home made bread like mom.

I want to have a bug herb garden.

I want to have picnics in the backyard for no reason.

I want to build tents with all the quilts.

I want to let my little girls go out to eat in tutus and feather boas.

I want to make mud pies with my little boys.

I want to take then to reenactments and see then run around in breeches and petticoats.

I want to be what mom is to me: my closest confidant and biggest encourager.

I want to write stories for their bedtimes and stay up late with them drinking cocoa and reading books on Christmas.

I want to have family game nights that end with entire family pillow fights.

I want to serve, my church, my community, my world. I want to be a woman that gives, gives, and gives again.

I want to instill that passion for missions into my kids, and show them how much God loves his people.

I want to have a constantly full cookie jar.

I want music to be constantly playing. Whether I'm singing at the top of my lungs (and horribly out of tune) or someone playing an instrument.

I want dirty footprints and cotton curtains, open doors and windows, and jars full of butterflies.

I want to my children to know the Lord at a young age, and to LIVE their faith from a young age, and to not have waited to let the Lord do something in their lives until they were "older".

I might homeschool, I might not. But whatever I do, I want my kids to know their faith and to be fearless and to stand up for what they believe.

I want to the mother that all my kids' friends love and hang out at my house.

I want to be crazy in love with my husband and to wake up every morning to his face.

I want to spend time with him in the morning on the back porch, watching the sunrise, drinking my tea and digging deep in His word.

I'm an idealist, and I don't want the picket fence, but I want my country cottage and a man who lives the Lord and me, and children who follow the example of their father.

I want to love, be loved, and give love."

Frightening Happenings

My brother and his wife have finally arrived to stay for a few days. Tonight, around four, we heard several fire trucks race down the street. Now, this is no uncommon occurance. We live five houses down from a volunteer fire station. But, this time two more came from the opposite direction; the fire station about five minutes east of us. Usually when they drive by, we say a small prayer for whoever is the unfortunate victim of the emergency. But this time, the trucks went directly to a house on the road behind us. My sister went to the kitchen in the back to see what was going on, and the house was billowing smoke. Quick as we could, we grabbed our jackets and shoes and ran outside. One of our neighbors told us what happend. Appearently, the family was, thankfully, gone: the dad out hunting and the kids at their mom's house. They had a live tree for Christmas this year and they left the lights on continuously. Our neighbor, who is an electrician, said he saw the smoke and tried to put out the fire with his hose. The tree had caught on fire from the Christmas lights and had spread to the wall behind the tree. The fire got into the wiring and spread all the way into the attic. It was quite frightening. But I guess we learned a lesson: Never leave your lights on.

Merry Christmas!!

I know this is a little late but it has been very busy at my house recently. :) Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Year!

Cooking, Cooking, and more Cooking

Whew!! I have been in a flury of cooking. Yesturday I made banana bread, cranberry bread, and chocolate cookies. Today, I am making popovers, nisu, and cranberry sauce for tomorrow. Nisu is a Finnish braided bread. I'm not Finnish, but my friend Danielle makes it and it is amazing! Unfortunately though, it takes four hours to make. And I haven't even started. My church's Christmas Eve service starts at three, so I have to wait until afterwards to make it. I guess I'll be up late tonight! Oh, I almost forgot. I am making a pie/tart thingy Saturday that has apples, pears, and cranberries. Simply de-lish!

Give, Give, Give...

Tonight Chad spoke on John 1. He showed this video during the discussion secession. The question was "How can we show love beyond the gift giving hype that comes with Christmas? How can we get past the materialism?" Hope this gives you something to think about.