15 Weeks: Prodigy Already?

Since Faelyn was born my friend Sarah and I have been labeling her our "Prodigy child". You know, because every Mom knows their child is the smartest one! When she started in the infant class at the school I teach at I had to fill out an information sheet for Fae so the teachers could know more about her. One of the questions was "What do you want you child to learn this year?". Since Faelyn will only be like 6 months old at the end of the school year I thought it was a funny question and told Mrs. Paula (Fae's teacher) that I wanted Fae to be able to recite the alphabet backwards :) While she may not be there quite yet, look at her READING! Ha! I walk into her classroom expecting my little baby girl to be sleeping or doing other things normal of a 15 week old, but no...she is just chillin' reading a story about Noah.

Value: Where does it come from?

Pastor Steve has recently talked about the things or people we try to get our value from other than God and it really affected me. It brought to light how often I depend on others to give me my value other than God which is obviously a let down most of the time. So, since I started to grasp this concept of course I have to be tested in it! Last weekend I made a castle cake for a lady that I thought turned out pretty well, but she wasn't there when I set it up and later that day I got an e-mail describing all the things to felt was wrong with the cake. She said it would take her days to list everything that was bad and she wished she hadn't paid me. She said the bottom two tiers were the same size (which they weren't), that the pink was the wrong shade, that the cake was the wrong flavor (which it wasn't) and the list goes on. Obviously this wasn't the perfect ending to my week and it brought a lot of feelings of failure and doubts on continuing doing the cake thing. So, as I am sitting in the parking lot of Wal-Mart reading this e-mail from her and this feeling of defeat washed over me and I laid my head on my steering wheel and cried. Through the tears God spoke to me and amazingly enough the tears lasted no longer than a minute. God picked me up, dusted me off and sent me into the store to continue buying stuff for the next cake adventure. Even as I am checking out I am thinking, "What am I doing putting myself through this stress and making myself vulnerable to people's disapproval AGAIN?!" all the while praying for God to give me my value through people's critiquing. It's not as thought what the lady said didn't affect me, because it did and the thoughts still creep up on me from time to time, but the peace the surpasses all understanding is my covering and the cake-ing continues!
P.S. There were issues with the cake order for Wednesday too BUT I am still getting ready for this weekends cakes, I don't even understand this perseverance....

Working Nights: What Happened?!

I have always said that I didn't want to work nights, since Matt works all day and that is the time he is home, but since this cake thing began I work nights! Can I still complain about it since I am technically home? Matt and Faelyn are hanging in the living room enjoying a movie together and here I am in slaving away (ha) in the kitchen, which is cut off from the living room and my family. I I shouldn't really complain since I enjoy making the cakes and I am only a wall length away from them, but is it too much to ask to want to enjoy the movie to?! Poor Chelsea...

Cooking Dinner: Blessing or Burden

As Matt and I were grocery shopping the other day after having no groceries for like a month, thus making random things from the cabinet and getting fat on fast food, I was thinking about how my cooking has changed with the amount of things added to my schedule. While a shorter time spent cooking may seem like an obvious reaction to a heavier schedule, I hadn't really noticed it since it happened gradually. I used to spend time and make menus and create recipes that I knew Matt and I would really enjoy, but I think last week the most elaborate thing I made was spaghetti with sauce straight from the JAR! Doesn't that sound fancy? So, I stepped back and thought about whether or not I missed cooking for my family and I DO! I miss the house smelling like a good meal and Matt and I sharing something other than McDonalds french fries. While I'm sure some days will bring the desire to just order pizza, I want to make time to cook dinner for my man again. He deserves it and I deserve not to get fat on Burger King! Amen.

A Scripture: Tried and True

I had these random thoughts recently about needing a new scripture to live by, like the one I was using had an expiration date... I know...the way I think sometimes is so ridiculous when I write it down. But as I look at my daughter and all the things Matt and I have been through, prayed through and accomplished I realized these words from God are the same yesterday, today and forever. Nothing better than a tried and true scripture.

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME! PHIL 4:13