Mice as Food (for thought)

It’s been a while since I posted last and I have so much on my mind, I’m not sure where to start. So I guess I’ll start right where mine and Mike’s conversation just left off – on mice. Yep, mice. We’ve surely got ‘em here in Portland and I’m finally done asking God daily, “Why?” Yes, they’ve been a huge pain/annoyance/inconvenience and have brought up numerous entitlement issues/heart issues. (Need I say health issues? Anyone?) But I’m hoping to soon post to let ya’ll know, our potential visitors, that our home is ready and mouse free. For now, these are my thoughts on the issue.

This may sounds strange, and who knows what the Lord has planned for our future, but since Mike and I got married, I have always envisioned us serving out our final years (hopefully the last ten at least, if we’re lucky) in some crazy country that no one wants to live in for the sole purpose of telling people about Jesus. I really hope to skip conventional retirement. I do. What does this have to do with mice, you wonder? Well, having this little seed in my heart all these years has made it much easier for me to endure minor inconveniences. It’s when I lose perspective on heaven as my home that minor inconveniences become insanely large ones. But when I remember who I am in Christ, all that He endured for my sake, and all that He calls me to – for His sake, I recognize that mice are just little things. And you know where I find my thoughts drifting when in this right mind? I think, “This is good preparation. I may live in a hut someday. I may have spiders and who knows what else crawling all over me when I try to sleep at night. I may be sick, have a disease, miss my family. These darn mice are slowly but surely building perseverance in me. Thank you Jesus.” Is that weird?  I’m weird. I know. I mean, who knows if we’ll get to serve in another country someday. I do know that there are many out there who haven’t heard the blessed good news of Jesus and for whatever reason, I think about those people often and hope and pray that God will bless my feet as I bring them good news. Who knows but God, right?

Anyway, so we’ve got these mice. And along with thanking Jesus for building character and perseverance through the darn things, Mike spoke a good word tonight. He reminded me that there are people in the world who are so hungry and full of need, that they would gladly eat a mouse if it scurried across the floor. We sit here in our huge house with fat bellies, two cars, three healthy, beautiful boys…we’ve got it goooooooood. Mice? Minor, minor pain in the rear. Minor. 

Isn’t it amazing that God sent his only son to this earth to reconcile us, his kids, to himself? To give us freedom and life. To free us from anxiety and worry and depression and doubt. He gave the ultimate sacrifice for our JOY. Not so we could experience joy one time, or maybe twice, but so we could have joy in the midst of any and all suffering. Suffering sounds like a big, crazy event, doesn’t it? But I’m sure you can relate; we can so easily get wrapped up in little things, like mice, that we do feel like we’re suffering. Our countenance shows suffering. I’m sure you can replace mice with xxxxxx, and there you go. You think about xxxxx constantly and your demeanor changes and most importantly, your stance towards God changes to one of defiance and shaking your fist at what he’s allowed to sift through his fingers. But what he’s done in Jesus is he allows us to accept everything from his hand as good. As right. As perfect. And we can still have JOY!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! (*smiles…fist pump*) 

It’s been an interesting go in Portland so far. I love it here. I love the whole darn state and I’m so excited I get to live here…but it’s been a little chaotic. My kids have been sick on four separate occasions – in a little over a month. My heart’s been ripped open by family stuff. Mike and I had a rough first few weeks communicating. Our house wasn’t clean when we moved in and we’ve been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning… And we have mice. But as much as I recognize that the enemy of Christ would want to deter our family from serving here and loving this city – I recognize even more that Jesus is alive and victory is won. Again – JOY!!! There’s never a reason to be far from joy for long. So thankful.

 

Mediterranean Quinoa

Oh man. Mike took a picture of our meal tonight and it just didn’t do it justice! I made Mediterranean quinoa for the first time tonight. Yum, yum, triple yum. I had so much fun making this healthy dinner in my new kitchen tonight. I had a glass of wine, cranked Miles Davis, and went to town. The recipe came from my “Feeding the Whole Family” cookbook. Some of the yummy ingredients? Quinoa, of course. Mint, Italian parsley, fresh lemon juice, currants, feta, and green onions. I served with a salad, homemade miso dressing, and crusty bread (which I vow will be the last store-bought dinner bread I buy! Too expensive!). Mike made a table for our kitchen and we ate there tonight with our pretty white plates. And guess what else? I made extra quinoa and have a starter dough fermenting for a couple loaves of whole grain bread I’m going to attempt to make tomorrow. Woot! Loving my new kitchen, can you tell?

We Have Arrived

I can’t believe tomorrow will mark our first week in Portland. We have been busy, busy setting up house and at this point, we are excited to be DONE unpacking! Just a few more days left until new carpet is installed upstairs and all will be right with the world….well, at least, in our house. This is a big ol’ old house we live in now. It seems the projects could potentially be endless in this place and I’ve been making mental notes to slow it down, be content with not getting everything done and settled by week one, and I’ve also been taking note that when we own a home someday, the projects can wait – because they’ll always be there. All this to say, we have a lot more space now – and it’s amazing. It’s funny, we’ve always lived in less than 1000 square feet, so we’re used to unpacking in a couple days and moving on with life. This house feels like a mansion to us in comparison to our cozy little places! We’re loving our neighborhood and our new brothers and sisters here. Also, we’ve met most of our immediate neighbors already and there are so many kids just steps away! Today, our next door neighbors brought a plate of cookies over to welcome us to the neighborhood. Their oldest son is five and let me tell you what, Jude is in heaven. Benny too. They have a mini playground in their backyard and a sandbox. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun next door this summer.

Maybe you’re wondering how I’m settling in? How my heart is doing. I honestly feel like I’m still in a little bit of a fog. Everyone knows that moving is hectic as can be. There’s all the packing beforehand, the saying goodbye, the anticipation…then there’s the moving in, settling down, feeling out a new city. There’s a lot to take in and I’ve been a slow mover. I have so much peace about making Portland my home. I don’t feel rushed and yet I do feel like there’s a little incubation period to be had, if that makes sense at all. Just time to chill a little, get our bearings, prayerfully consider who the Lord would have us minister to, get our family going on some sort of a routine again…I did have a moment last night while we were out a restaurant just up the road. I don’t necessarily miss Issaquah, the city. I love Portland. But it hit me that it really takes time to be known. And having developed some of the richest relationships to date in Issaquah, I’m encouraged to continue living a life that’s…available. Open. Honest. Vulnerable. True. With the help of Jesus – who so graciously imparts such loving friends in the first place – friendships will once again blossom and bloom here in P-Town. So I guess, it isn’t that I’m lonely or anything like that. Life is simply…different now. What’s coming is unknown, yet I love the adventure.

God’s really been working on my heart this week. I see that today. I recognize him showing me that regardless of any chaos, peace is available to me. Chaos need not effect how I talk to my children, how I talk to my husband. Where I live, what I do…these things don’t define me. Neither does a calm and peaceful house, obedient children, thriving relationships. Jesus defines me. In order for that to be true, I have to believe it. If I believe it, I stop amidst the chaos and give thanks to Him who has allowed everything to pass through his hands. Then, peace. It’s a beautiful thing, really. I may not know how this Portland life will pan out, but I’m reminded that neither Issaquah nor Portland is my home. Heaven is my home. I want everything I do to be done with that in mind. Sure puts life in perspective. God moved us to this place, there is no doubt in my mind about that. He will lead the way. Again, peace.

The boys are adjusting well. Mike has been working hard on the house and has, as always, been the steady rock for me. I ventured out with a new friend today and finally did a bit of grocery shopping. For those who know me well, I LOVE Winco. Bulk bins? Oh yeah, baby. (Unfortunately I didn’t read the price well enough on the darn pine nuts I bought today though. Sheesh! $13 for pine nuts! Oy.) Anyway, I was so excited to be grocery shopping, so excited to be at Winco, and so excited to be in Portland, I just wanted to talk to everyone. There was mucho joy in my heart. There is right now as I write. It may be a little frustrating not being able to unpack because of the carpet situation, but Jesus orchestrated that too.

Not much else to report folks. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated. The boys picked up colds this week and I’m sure would like to feel better. We’ve had amazing sunny weather here all week. Our house gets awesome sunshine and light and is super cozy. Can’t wait to get the fireplace going on the next rainy day.

More soon!

On the Move

Yep, the Furubotten’s are on the move. Where, you wonder? Patience, my friends. This is something God’s been teaching me (painfully) over the past six months or so, so I pass it on to you. Ha ha! I do share that change is in the works mostly to ask for your prayers in the coming chapter in our life. In my life. God planted the idea of a particular place in our hearts a little over a year ago. I’m guessing I needed that long to finally give in to it. And now, I’m ready. Ready to go. Ready for a new adventure. But I’m a little nervous and still a little hesitant. Not bad things, really, though I do wish I were more resolved. It’s funny…Mike and I have moved seven times in our eight years of marriage. Be it across the state, or to an upstairs apartment from the downstairs. People. It’s all about people. Sure, God’s moving us to a very specific place, but when we get there, life will still be about people. We’ll be in a new city and we’ll love that city and it’ll be our city, but at the end of the day, what’s most important is how we first love God, and second, how we love the people he puts in our life. The difference with this move then the past seven though is that we have THREE babies now. It feels like such a game changer moving with kids. Mike and I were talking tonight about how we’ve moved in the past and have been super bold about how we went about it. We were wondering what’s different this time. Even why we haven’t just moved already? And we realized we just want to go a little slower this time. Be a little more sure. It’s silly really. The God who moved us to three different cities since we’ve been married, who gave us a place to live and at least two job offers within a couple days of moving to town – that same God is moving us again. Isn’t that funny? Every time we moved we moved without a job. Without financial security. We just moved because we knew God wanted us in a specific place. We trusted he’d provide for us. And he did. Every time. And here we are, teetering on the edge. Yep. Teetering. Teetering away. We’re making progress though, and I really look forward to sharing with you (all two of you who still read this blog that I never write on) our next adventure. For those of you who pray to a mighty King Jesus in heaven, please pray for me. I waver something ridiculous, and I’m honestly sick of it. Resolved. Yes! That’s what I want. Pray for THAT! Boo-yah.

On another note, life as a mama of three little boys is gooooooood. I spent a good long while reading books with Benny and Jude today, snuggled under the coziest blanket in the house. I love how Jude has to touch my hand when we’re reading together. And I love the challenge of reading in such a way that Benny will actually remain on the couch. Even if he’s sitting still, his eyes move every which way. I wish I could see in that little brain of his. Granted, Mike was just gone for three days and it was a little intense. They missed their dad and….so did I. It’s a lot of work putting the boys down alone and all of that. Mike’s the one who usually does that business. Anyway, regardless, he’s home now and all is right with the world. He’s a good man, my Mike. A great man.

I’m trying to think of anything else…… Jude turned four. I was pretty emotional on his birthday because I realized that my next party to plan is Si’s! He’s going to be ONE! How did that happen? You’re probably all in shock that I’m not pregnant already. Hahahahahahahahaha! Well, I’m definitely not, in case any of you wanted to know. Poor Silas. If we don’t have any more, I’m going to be holding him like he’s my little baby when he’s five. Maybe even sixteen, who knows.

Alright then. This posts turning into a long one about nothing. So glad we got a chance to reconnect, my loyal readers! Much love, much love.

Potty Training Tool Kit

Following Benny around the house today. Man, diapers sure are easier.

Here’s my tool kit:
Washrags
Towels
Baking soda/water solution
New undies
Timer

Here’s my plan, now that Benny has proven he can poo in the potty and pee on command:

Put Benny on the potty every thirty minutes when the timer goes off to pee.

When he has an accident, he helps me clean it up completely.

Don’t leave the house unless I’m feeling very, very brave ( and have prayed for mucho patience and am prepared to extend grace when there’s an accident).

If leaving the house, bring toolkit (especially if going to someone’s house) and fresh clothes.

Only use a diaper at nap and bed time – no matter what.

Be ALL IN! IN IT TO WIN IT! GO TEAM! POTTY TRAINED OR BUST! (Repeat these and other encouraging mantras all day, as necessary.)

Do the “pee pee in the potty” dance every time he does it successfully. (Thanks Shannon for this tip!)

Pray, pray, pray…and make potty training fun!

Do you have any other tips for me?

Unimaginably Greater

It was a beautiful summer evening last night. We ate dinner in the sun then headed out for a walk. Both boys had their helmets on. Jude brought his little bike and Ben was ready to ride Mike’s longboard with him down the paved trail just shy of a block from our house. Si was in the umbrella stroller wearing just a little white onesie and Mike’s biking cap. C-U-T-E! His legs are so chunky and white. Both of the older boys had rosy faces before they even started riding.

We walked down to the trail and as soon as we hit it, all the big guys took off. Si and I putted along, watching them go. You know how when the sun starts to go down and that beautiful glow casts on everything? Last night was especially glorious as the trail is lined with forest on both sides and the trees create a canopy above. And there in the distance was my darling family, framed by trees and glowing light. The boys looked so little.

I probably don’t have to tell you that my heart was full, looking at them. Looking at the family God has blessed me with. Many things ran through my head. Especially the thought that this is such a blip in my life. The boys will only be little for a blip. All the more reason to embrace each day, one day at a time. To savor it. Put my whole heart into it. I thought about how Jesus sacrificed everything for me and how my family is surely a blessing from Him. A result of God’s love toward me. Why wouldn’t I, in light of this love, lay it all down like Jesus did, for my family? Lay myself aside. Serve them with all I’ve got.

As I was watching them in the distance, and looking down at those adorable little chunky Silas legs, I thought my heart would burst open. And then it hit me. Eternity with Jesus will be unimaginably greater than what I felt right then. Unimaginably. All these little daily glimpses of beauty point to a perfect King who will make all things right. Who will blend every beautiful moment into another. There won’t be the ups and downs that I experience every day or the guilt I experience when I snap at my children or when I’m not the friend I wish I was. There will only be one crazy full heart, like I experienced last night – times a million to five (in the words of my Jude).

Created in Christ

I’m still studying Galatians. This morning, Keller included this (below quote) in the study section for Galatians 1:10-2:21. (I really need to get a link up for this study…) Why include a section of Ephesians if the study is on Galatians? Keller is displaying Paul’s role as an apostle. In the above mentioned Galatians section, Paul has just revealed his story – the why, how, and when he became a believer. In Christ, there is a distinct purpose and call on his life. Just as there is in ours who believe!

One of the glories of Christianity is the assurance that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”(Ephesians 2:10). This statement by Paul that we are “created” does not simply refer to our physical formation, as God has, of course, created all human beings (see Genesis1:26-27). Rather, Paul is talking about being “created in Christ.” It means that every person who believes in Christ does so because she or he is the object of a process of God’s “spiritual creation.” The word workmanship is very important; it is the Greek word poema from which we get our word “poem.” It means that every believer is essentially a work of art — God’s art! Consider how artists work, whether they are writers, musicians, painters, sculptors, etc. They labor long and hard and with the utmost care and detailed attention. Sometimes they do very little, only a stroke here or there. Other times they make massive changes. But always they seek to bring the raw material into line with an artistic vision. Thus Paul is telling us that God labors over all believers throughout our entire lives, intervening and guiding and shaping us to bring us into line with a vision he has for us. This is mentioned also in Ephesians 2:10 — “created to… good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Thus, God has a particular set of “good works” for us to do, for which he prepares us our whole lives.

It is therefore of utmost importance to look back on our lives and see everything that has happened through this grid, namely that:

• God has been at work through the various influences of our lives— “created in Christ.” All of our experiences and troubles and our family and friends must be seen as the instruments of an artist used to mold and shape us. He has been at work in all of our lives!
• God has been at work to make us something beautiful — “workmanship.” God is out to make our beings something great—to give us characters of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, integrity, humility and self-control.
• God has been at work to make us something useful — “good works… prepared beforehand.” God is also out to make our doings something great — to make us helpful and able to serve others in special ways.

As I read this, I thought of two very specific people. One is a friend I know who is pregnant with her fifth child. What a vision Christ has for her, to mold her and shape her, and to “make her doings something great.” With three little ones myself, it is a comfort to know that there is always hope in the midst of seeming chaos – mainly that God drew out with his own hand each scene, each day, each moment. And he will not let us go. Our life is designed through eternity. What hope!

Another friend is a wealth of wisdom. She seeks the Lord, she pursues people, she prays. It is a beautiful thing to look on her life and reflect on how God created it. More than anything, I sense a steady peace about her that constantly draws me to Christ.

Thinking about these two women, and then thinking about how God has designed my own life…..it’s so encouraging! Christ is ever at work, and it looks different for everyone. These past few weeks have been up and down for me. I’ve been fighting God’s artistry like nothing else. I’ve wanted something different than what he’s offering. I’ve wanted certain people to change immediately and I’ve wanted different circumstances. Hear the common denominator? I, I, I!!! Really, life is the way it is because “God labors over all believers throughout our entire lives, intervening and guiding and shaping us to bring us into line with a vision he has for us.”

My desire this morning is to submit to God’s vision for me. And to believe he has one. And to believe his way is better and sweeter and greater than anything I could think up on my own. There is no artist like the one who created the mountains, the animals, and the sea. May I look only to today, his vision for me today, and believe that the days following will build on today. May I hope in his artistry.

Need some encouragement, mothers?

Wow. My heart’s spinning after reading these articles by Rachel Jankovic. I’m seriously considering adding her book to my (already too enormous) book list after reading her posts.

Would love to hear your thoughts after you read her posts on motherhood! Go get ‘em, mamas! Love those beautiful, precious, God-given gifts today! You are equipped to love and care for your children, and your career as a mother is one of the most important you’ll ever work.

My 1st Book of Questions & Answers

On a good morning, Mike asks the boys a couple questions from this book at breakfast time. They love it. Check it out.

Have you heard of Patty Griffin?

This lady can SING! Patty Griffin is, hands down, my favorite artist. Check this out.