We’ve signed up to do the Shamrock Four-Miler race this weekend, and have been pumping ourselves up for it. I texted her today to remind her that if we could complete a grueling mud run (which we did last year!), we could definitely rock this out. She texted back with this reply: “As long as I have a buddy, I can do anything.”

She’s so right! Isn’t that the way it should be? We all need buddies. Encouragers, accountability partners, burden bearers – buddies wear many hats.

The bible seems to highlight the importance of having buddies. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 is a good example.

Jesus had buddies. His ministry was all about establishing relationships to show who He was. Relationships were important to Him, so they should be important to us.

I’m thankful for my buddies. I only pray that I give to them the support, encouragement and joy they give me.

Themed dinners have always appealed to me for some reason. What better time to implement a theme than Halloween? So, for the past few weeks, I’ve scoured the Internet and October magazines for great meal ideas (and have developed a Pinterest addiction in the process – but that’s another post!).

Since our weeks are kind of packed with evening activities, I’ve decided to start our Halloween menu on Thursday. It works, though, giving me five nights of ghoulish surprises for my family.

I was going to give you a play by play of the recipes I’m going to make, but I’m finding it difficult to narrow my list down to five. Here are a few pics of the ones I’m definitely using.

Taco salad that has its "eyes" on you!

Gotta have Mummy Dogs!

Might save the "Meat Hand" for the 31st! Go out with a macabre bang!

Below are also some great links to find wonderful ideas. If you’re on Pinterest, I have a “holidays – all” board with decorating and foodie stuff I’m going to try and implement this year! If you have some favorites, please share!

Happy Halloween!

Pineapple Hill Designs

Ready, Set, Craft

Happy Cake Crafts

The Lennoxx

Martha Stewart

There was some resistance from the hubby. He didn’t want to give up a wall, a chalkboard wall in the kitchen was so yesterday, etc., etc., so on and so forth. Thankfully, my niece, Sloane, was in on the discussion. It went something like this:

Me: This is what is what I want, and this is the wall I’m doing it on (kitchen).
Joe: How about if we painted the mantel wall instead.
Me: But where will we put a Christmas wreath?
Sloane (the creative genius of the family): You could draw the wreath on with the chalk!

Our collective over-the-head- light bulbs practically exploded, and within a week we had our perfect mantel wall art. We also already have a backlog of ideas to change it up.

The best part is that it cost like $20 – including the chalk.

It just might be my favorite thing in the house. Really.

That’s why I get so excited when they end up creating their own learning experiences. Their latest adventure is a club they formed with their BFFs (who conveniently live right behind us). The “Frog Friends” have a clear mission – to scour the neighborhood yards and woods for every shape, size and species of frogs.

They have a catch and release program. Actually, it’s a catch-observe-Google for species information-kiss it on the head-and-release program. You know what I mean. They’ve even made Frog Friends bracelets, and document their finds in a nature journal.

So, I haven’t really minded that bedtime has somehow gotten pushed to 10 pm or later. I mean, geesh, you can’t hunt frogs in the daylight.

It’s amazing how simple homeschooling can be sometimes – when I’m not the one running it!

As I prayed those names, people who fell under those categories came to mind. As I referenced God as Healer, I remembered all my friends and family suffering with health problems. When I prayed to Abba, I thought of the many orphaned children throughout the world.

I’m sure this isn’t an original idea for some of you, and I don’t take credit for it. All of my great God ideas come from the Lord, anyway. I just thought I’d share.

Happy Wednesday!

That’s what spurred my search to find healthy (and inexpensive) options to fill my cleaning cabinet. The shift is slow, but I’m making progress.

I’ve learned so much from my friend, Kim Button. We met on a press trip years ago, and she’s inspired me ever since. Her web site, www.getgreenbewell.com. is a great way to explore ways to eliminate chemicals in cleaning and beauty products, and just lessen your effect on the environment overall. If you’re not convinced going natural is the best way to go, definitely check out her “about” page. I’m sure you’ll be inspired, too!

The book Make Your Place is another great resource. It was the best $7 I ever spent. Covering everything from non-toxic cleaning and body care to gardening help and first aid, this little book packs a lot in those 124 pages. Plus, I love the handwritten text. Sometimes I pretend it’s my personal journal.

I plan on posting more in the future on this subject – recipes, tips, and things of that nature. For now I thought I’d share a recipe for the best cleaning product ever, found in the above mentioned book.

Take 1 1/2 cup of white vinegar and mix it with 1/2 cup of water (I know, sounds daunting, right!?). Add 4-8 drops of your favorite essential oil. The recipe calls for orange, lemon or grapefruit essential oil. I like tea tree oil because of its antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Plus, I think it smells really nice. Lavender is another good one. Who doesn’t love the smell of that? It’s a triple threat, too – antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiviral.

Do you have any favorite natural ways of cleaning? I’d love to hear about them!

Happy (and healthy) cleaning!

Enter Owl City. I really feel like I should have an angel choir sound effect here.

If you’ve never heard of Owl City, I’m really sad for you. Stop reading immediately and go here.

Front man Adam Young is, well, it’s just ridiculous how much talent this guy has. I could listen to his music all day long – and often we do. What we also love is that he is a Christian and some of his lyrics reflect his faith. In a world where there is no shortage of tween “role models” making very public and terribly poor decisions, I’m thankful my daughters have chosen Adam as theirs. It melted my heart when I heard one of them say: “Just think! When we all go to Heaven, we’ll get to meet Adam Young, too!”

We recently got to take the girls to their very first concert – Owl City at the Fillmore in Charlotte. They were over the moon. I truly believe they were more excited about this than our first trip to Disney. Although they didn’t get to meet Adam Young in person, they were able to meet Breanne Duren (whom they dearly love). She was so kind and gracious. They also got to meet Daniel Jorgensen, whom was incredibly sweet and patient despite the late hour!

So, thank you, Owl City. I am grateful for you!

P.S. You should also check out Sky Sailing, another Adam Young offering (acoustic). Go here.

Before I knew it, I had slapped together and created probably the best panini sandwich I’ve ever made. I felt all Panera Breadish and stuff. The girls were even impressed. I’m actually typing with one hand, as I’m still patting my own back.

Here’s the lowdown if you want to make it at home. It’s crazy easy.

I took a couple slices of French Peasant bread (from Breadsmith), but you can use whatever Artisan bread you’re partial to. I spread a little butter on one side of each piece. On my sandwich, I also slathered pesto sauce on the inside of one of the pieces. Everything’s better with pesto. Then, I just piled everything on.

It went like this: cheese, turkey, roasted red peppers, cheese.

Told you it was easy.

I put it on the grill. I refuse to spend money on a panini maker, when I have a perfectly good iron skillet (free from my dad. Thanks, Dad!).

After the cheese was adequately melted, I just plated it up with a Ceasar salad and some grapes. It looked a lot prettier than my picture-taking abilities reveal. Also, I was so hungry I didn’t want to waste precious eating time trying to get the perfect shot. (I’ll practice before my next food post, promise!)

I have a feeling I’ll be making this sandwich a few more times in the future. Enjoy!

I know this isn’t the case with some parents. I’ve actually heard mothers say things like “I don’t know what I’m going to do with these kids all summer!” and “I can’t WAIT until school starts – they are driving me nuts.”

It really makes me sad when I hear that. Now, don’t get me wrong. There are days when the last nerve I have is being relentlessly trampled on. (I firmly believe Madden could make noise with a cotton ball and a piece of string!)

No, my daughters aren’t perfect. But neither am I.

A friend recently shared a story that has really stuck with me. A friend of hers had gone to a mother/daughter camp with her oldest. During the camp, they played a game similar to the “Newlywed Game” where the mothers had to answer questions about their daughters. Our friend was shocked at how few answers most of the mothers got right.

I’ve often wondered how many answers I would have guessed correctly. Because of that, I’ve decided to make this summer I’m going try and learn something new about my kids every day.

They’re already suspicious. Peyton asked me yesterday: “Why are you asking us all these questions?” Guess I should be a little more covert. It appears I’m too out of practice to make bonding with them a seamless event. Looks like this momma has some work to do!

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can his faith save him?” James 2: 14

My mom got me this beautiful pen. It is marbled pink with gold trim, and looks extremely fancy. However, I must confess – I rarely use it (sorry Mom!).

Truth be told, I can barely write with it. It’s so bulky and heavy I can’t seem to use it for more than five minutes. At that point, my hand begins to cramp up and my arm almost goes limp.

The pen kind of reminds me of how we Christians can sometimes be (yes, I’m including myself here!). On the surface we’re polished and poised. We may use all that impressive Christian lingo and make sure our butts are firmly planted in those church pews each Sunday.

But the reality is, despite appearances, we can be useless.

We fail to notice our elderly neighbor because we’re too distracted with our own busy lives. We fail to pull ourselves away from the TV or computer to spend time playing with our own kids. We fail to notice the need for volunteers in many ministries within our own church (I’m in children’s ministry, and sadly, I see that one a lot). We don’t inconvenience ourselves to help others. Rather, our tunnel vision of having others serve us renders us useless.

I’m certainly guilty of it. As a homeschooling mom, I often get wrapped up in the schedule we must keep and tasks we must complete. I fail to savor the time I get to spend with my precious girls. While I’m doing “my job” as a mom, I’m useless in the area of strengthening a bond with my daughters.

The scriptures teem with references on how we should live out our faith to help those in need, and just as many (if not more) opportunities to take action around us. You can become a small group leader for a group of second-graders in your church, feed the broken and hurting in a homeless shelter on a regular basis, or visit the lonely and often forgotten elderly in a local nursing home.

I want to be a useful utensil for the kingdom – chewed up, missing eraser, and sharpened to a nub.