CIA COOKIES

*Notes: today is a day when I decided I needed to mainline chocolate and there are simply NO M/Ms, Butterfingers, Snickers in the house. So Arielle and I made Cia Cookies.

These are called Cia cookies because my friend TriCIA gave the recipe to Adrienne and that is what she called them. These were a STANDBY in the dorms in the Philippines. We had them once a week. Adrienne adapted the recipe to use carob and honey and gave them to me. I thought they were "ok" with honey but they didn't set up like I wanted them to do...so I adapted them to use Rapadura.....and I have no idea what the original recipe is - maybe Tricia will share it with us in the comment section. {G}

Adrienne's Version of Cia Cookies
4 T carob
1 3/4 - 2 Cups Honey
1/2 C milk
1/2 C butter

Boil 3 min, take off heat and stir in
1/2 C peanut butter
5 C oats
1 tsp vanilla

My Version of Cia Cookies * Leave out the cocoa and these are great peanut butter no-bakes! 
1/4 C  Cocoa
2 C Rapadura
1/2 C milk
1/2 C butter

Boil 1 - 1 1/2  min, take off heat and stir in
1/2 C peanut butter
3 C oats
1 tsp vanilla

Lay out on wax paper until firm.

Arielle stirs...

Getting closer.... Ahhhhh....

Book Review: The Ministry of Motherhood, Ch 7

Chapter Seven - Inspiring a Sense of God's Powerful Presence (Emphasis mine - my comments italicized)
This is an awesome chapter. The main point is that we can see God's presence in nature, circumstances and we need to take the time to point God's presence out to our children. This made me think of several friends who seem to be naturals at noticing and appreciating God's creation. Several of you know Jodi through her blog and SHS. She and her family have led me to spend more time noticing the little things that God has created for us to notice and enjoy all around us. This is another excellent chapter that is very hard to choose a few quotes from.
"When I first became a mother, I would never have guessed that the words Come, look! would be so important to my children's faith training. But as we all grew together, I came to understand the importance of pointing out to them the abundant evidence of God's power and glory and presence that surrounds us." p81.
"God is more powerful, mysterious, and wonderful than we can even imagine. He cannot be contained by our thoughts or definitions and is in a sense wild and untamable and bigger than we are in every way. And yet he is also a God who goes to great lengths to reveal himself to us, to remind us that he is present in all the minutes of our lives. If we have eyes to see and ears to her, the evidence of his power and presence is all around us. And those moments when we see him revealed teaches us so much. Even in the darkest moments of our own small lives he gives us reason to trust him, to anticipate the miraculous, to dream of resurrection life and the hope it brings." p 82. YES! This makes me need to take a break and click on the youtube at the top of my blog. ::snort::
Sally speaks of how even the disciples had to remember to look beyond their daily lives to see God's power and presence.
"If we desire to pass on that gift to our children, we will always be on the lookout for opportunities to tell them to "look" and "observe" and ponder. We must be ready to point them to signs of his living presence in our daily lives - and also to point beyond our circumstances to him who is beyond the limitations of this world. This awareness of Divine reality helps open their hearts to God's will and pleasure at any moment and to lift them above the tedium of the mundane." p 85 This is what several of my friends have encouraged me to do. To take time to look, observe, ponder and discuss nature in the context of the Creator with my children. Not that I didn't do this - always on a camping trip - but in the busyness of life in a city....I'd forget.
"A child who does not have the opportunity to marvel at the bigness of God, the wonders of his creation, and the reality of his supernatural work will tend to measure the questions about "who God is" according to his or her finite, limited perspective." p 85. This is good. It's not about getting a break from the house or books....those park trips, lake trips, nature walks, camping trips are about broadening a perspective. LOL
All of page 85 is really good - but to long to quote.
"When we are ready to receive the grace of his power and presence into each moment of our lives, we cannot help but look differently at all our daily activities. When we learn to look and listen and ponder, our everyday moments can be transformed by the knowledge of a God whose companionship brings joy, "wind to our wings," and the possibility of a miraculous touch at any moment." p 86
"As we inspire our children to look for God's glory and purposes in their lives, we help the learn to expect the supernatural grace that is always available to us." p 86
I love this prayer:
"Creator God,
We praise you, Father, for the magnificent gift of your creation. Help us learn to find a quiet place in the midst of each day so that we may see the evidence of your fingertips. (Love that imagery). Teach us to lead our children to heaven's throne as we stop to observe the stars, the seasons, the birds, the storms, and all that you made. May we all learn to wonder at your greatness and worship you for your handiwork. Amen." p 86

Scenes from Tuesday

The washer is broken - again. They can't fix it until Friday. This is the second repair call on this NEW Kenmore. I'm not impressed. Meanwhile, we have to dump water into the tub before it will work. This is a LOT of work. The boys have been incredibly busy helping with laundry today.

Bre played Monopoly with Arielle and Nolan.

Arielle got one of the Mandie sets that I'd found online today.

Cy and Krista went and picked this up at Walmart for the younger ones.

I had ye ole' ARD appointment (below).

Cy, Krista, Stacia and I went to Sam's for the few things not in the pantry for this week's menu.

Jared did two more lawns today.

Jamin did more TOG and finished Culinary Arts today.

Dinner as planned - now that's a first in a while. I'm not nauseated today. That's a blessing.

Josiah went to work. The seller of the Toyota Camry that Cy wanted to buy called and accepted his offer. He was at work - but Mike called and let him know.

**Note - Blogger is messing up again. It's been a long time since I've had trouble. The message code (BX something) means that I need log in to blogger.com instead of beta.blogger....and then load one photo at a time. I only mention this in case others are having troubles too. Maybe I'll have Liz host my blog and then I won't be able to see my photos and won't care if they load. ::snort::

NOLAN'S ARD

Just back from Nolan's yearly ARD appointment. Whew - a full house today. They superientendent of special ed was there, the special ed coordinators from the school, the speech pathologist from the school and the speech therapist from the Rehab center where we receive services.

Upshot - we're making progress. He's at 70% understandibility in "unknown context" and with folks who don't know him. Our goal is 80% in unknown and 90% in known context by the end of next year. They are also watching fine motor skills and processing. It's a bit discouraging after the YEARS of speech we've had - but we began at 30% in context.

They suggest that I have Nolan begin doing his "written work" on the computer because there is less to process that way.....I said, "So are you saying just give up on pencils and HAND writing?" No - just let him do his writing assignments and such on the computer as they think it will be far easier for him.....I'm not sure. Mike and I will talk about it and think about this this summer. LOL

We aren't sure if we are going to continue services over the summer. Mike and I need to discuss that. The school won't pay for summer sessions but the Rehab center says that they will help us out if we need it.

Menu - Week of 21 May

Fresh Fruit, Salad and Steamed Veggies @ each meal

Monday - Pizza
Tuesday - Easy Turkey Stroganoff, green beans
Wednesday - BBQ Meatballs
Thursday - Chicken Pot Pie
Friday - Chicken Divan
Saturday - Burger/Steak Burn
Sunday - dine out

Standbys: Soup, Quesidilias (sp?), Meat loaf, Baked Chicken

No time to link today - but you can search this blog and find most (think all) these recipes if you want them.

The Joy of Groceries

Last night was Shop Natural co-op night. I bought lots of cereal. Some of us have been splitting cases to make it cheaper, we will not be ordering next month, and so I bought more than typical. The children know that the chips and cereal that come on the truck must last a month - and that's that until the next truck.

Early this a.m. I heard Zander, "Mooommmmm, Mom!!!" He found me in my rocker on the front porch.

"Yes, Zander?"

"Mom - THANK YOU for buying me gorilla food!!!"

And a hug...great way to start my parenting day.

Are you confused? Gorilla food = Enviro Kidz Orangutan O's ::snort::

Book Review: The Ministry of Motherhood, Ch 6

Chapter Six - Inspiring a Sense of Purpose (all emphasis mine, personal comments italicized)
This chapter begins with an incident in Sally's 16 yo son's life. Joel reminds me of a couple of our young men. She then goes on to discuss the cost of discipleship. Good stuff.
A really easy study if you'd like more study on this topic is put out by Precept. They have quite a few "40 minute" studies that work great for a light summer study with no homework, or a Sunday School class, or my personal favorite - a weekly outing with parent/child, or even a couples weekly study time. These studies are written for you to do the work in "class". I'm not sure the link will take you directly to the study - but click "study materials", "40 minutes", "Being A Disciple: Counting the Real Cost". It sells from Precept for $6.99.
OK - on with the quotes: LOL I marked many but will share a few. Feel free to share others.
"But sometimes I think we fail to consider that following the Lord might mean leaving behind the ordinary and the familiar. It means exchanging a temporal view of life for an eternal goal. And this may mean leaving behind things we really care about - involvements and pursuits that seem important and worthwhile but may not be God's best for us." p72 (I've lived this lesson)
"To fulfill God's design for their lives, our precious children must at some point determine to give Jesus allegiance in every aspect of their lives. There is a cost to discipleship, and that cost is everything!" p 73.
"What really mattered in Joel's case was not his decision but his questions. Instead of asking, "What kind of job should I train for?" or "What kind of career do I want?" he was asking, "With all the skills, background and personality the Lord has given me, how can I best serve him and tell others about his kingdom? What job should I pursue so that I may serve him best in all that I do?" p 75
This is so key. So often we, as parents, stress over our children choosing a future, a career....but we need to be helping our children see what really matters is loving God wholeheartedly, listening and obeying to Him constantly...and following His plan for their lives....hey...sounds like a graduation type thing huh? ::snort::
"We must strive as a family to keep our focus on the eternal, not the ordinary. We must be willing to pay the cost of discipleship, determined to lay up our treasures in heaven." p75.
"By God's standards, our children will be successful in life if they are willing to love and follow Christ wherever they are asked to go. And that is an attainable goal. What he has called us to do he will give us the ability to complete. " p 76 Yes, yes, yes!
"That is a final important word to me as a mother committed to discipling my children. I can train. I can teach. I can strive to be an example and to give my children the gift of inspiration. But it is Jesus who calls them, just as he calls me. And the, in the end, are the ones who must make the choice to follow him into extraordinary life." p76 I believe THIS is where we need to spend lots of face time before the throne for our children. Yes, I pray for personality traits. Yes, I pray about academics. Yes, I pray about a career and a future. Yes, I pray for godly spouses. BUT the biggest issue that I intercede before the throne for my children on is that they respond to His call, that they experience a work of saving grace in their lives. This is so much more important than the things that fill our schedule: the right math course, the right extra curricular opportunities, finding the right writing agent, applying for the right scholarships.....these things pale in comparison to their hearts following HARD after their savior and creator. As a mom who has had two grow up and leave home....and a third about to....I can attest that knowing beyond a doubt that your child KNOWS how to listen to God that your childs LOVES god with their whole heart brings great peace. I KNOW that if things look unclear now, it doesn't matter. They know how to listen. They know how to obey. They will make the right choices....and they will have to make their own choices....but they've been good ones. Yes, I still have a few things I wish we'd done differently in homeschooling or what not - but frankly - those are insignificant. If they aren't quite ready in a subject that they need, they'll take a bonehead class at college. If they've missed the gift of grace, inspiration....and yet excel at all else....well that would be a bigger pain for my mother heart to bear.....and so we continue...chosing the eternal view, training children to choose to obey, demonstrating what a whole hearted love of God looks like, demonstrating the cost of discipleship, demonstrating a faith that is real, demonstrating a purpose beyond simply exsisting....and our children observe. And honestly, I thank God often for His grace that covers my mistakes and failures in parenting....for His work in my child beyond what I can expect or ask or hope to see.