Belated VDay Treats

Most of our family was sick over the holiday weekend, so we were not in the mood celebrate. Today we are all on the road to recovery. My little boy asked me if we were going to do anything special. Well, I didn't have anything planned, but I thought we should at least have a special treat. I made mini cupcakes with chocolate chips inside and chocolate icing. I used Betty Crocker's Gluten Free yellow cake mix, Nestle Semi-Sweet chocolate chips, and Betty Crocker's Chocolate Icing. I am not a baker, so I try to make things as easy as possible. This can be difficult when cooking gf.They came out pretty tasty. The chocolate definatley helps the taste. We have tried all the Betty Crocker gf mixes. The best ones are the brownie mix and the devil's food cake mix. The yellow cake is okay, and the chocolate chip cookies are just edible. You can really taste the rice flour in the cookies. The best thing about Betty Crocker is they have many gf recipes using their products. Thank you to Betty Crocker! I hope all had a relaxing President's Day and Valentine's Day.

Let's Go Again!

Don't you just know God is amazing?!?!?! I mean, here I am worrying and wondering and God just tells me why I shouldn't be and then gives an expression of His love. Yesterday was wonderful. We actually had snow this year! I thought for sure our chance had past. Isn't that usually how things work? You give up and think there is no longer any reason to hope and then God says surprise!! I was looking outside at this snow and thinking how stunning everything looked covered in sparkling white. And this voice came to me saying, "That's what God does to you." He takes our dirty, broken hearts and covers them with His love. Then we are sparkling white. Not only does he do that, but he also gives us a new person. Just like after the dead winter, we have a new and alive spring. God is AMAZING!!!!!!!!

The Drop

The biggest feeling I struggle with is envy. I am very envious of one certain thing. I know that I shouldn't be and I know that God has a personal plan for me; I KNOW these things. But some days it is hard to feel them. Yesterday and today are those kind of days. I can write about this so easily, but it is very difficult for me to talk about even though all my close friends know about this. I don't understand what God is doing and the only thing that keeps me going is His hope and promises. But I do have days where I give in to myself and wonder what do I have to do for God to answer my prayer? I think just about every Christian has a time where there is something they want so badly. This thing that they want very well could be God's will. It is not something that goes against what God's Word says and many other believers have been blessed with this same thing you are asking God to accomplish in your life. I have a prayer such as this. I find myself at the top of the rollercoaster awaiting the drop. And I am asking God to remember me and why couldn't this be part of His plan for my life? Why is this part of other's plans. Why not me? Why not now? And I want to get off the ride. I want to get out. I don't want to go up and down anymore. I want to stay flat.



But his Spirit is calling my name. He is telling me to lift my hands up and cry out to Him. He tells me the drop will be more than I can imagine and more than anyone else could accomplish. And I feel Him surround me and there are no butterflies in my stomach. There are no more questions; just pure love that only comes from Christ. And I know I can make it because HE goes before me. He tells me that he remembered Sarah and he remembered Elisabeth. He knew me before creation and He can't wait for me to see all He has planned. So, here goes. I am letting go of the bar.



Please pray for me and my family. Specifically pray for and on Feb. 28th between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. At this time my son will be baptized and someone I love will prayerfully be in attendance.

Praise Day!!!!!!

1. My son made the decision to be baptized on Sunday!! At church there were a lot of people going up to the front during the invitation and I thought I would ask my son (again) if he wanted to go up and talk to the pastor about being baptized. He is so sweet, you know. He says "Yes, Momma, but did you bring me extra clothes?" He was ready!! We walked down there and he is not bashful at all, so he tells the pastor that he wants to be baptized. Well, it was a great experience.

2. I recently changed churches, which was extremely difficult. The praise in this is that everything that I am doing (Sunday school, worship, bible study, just life!) is flowing together. God is personalizing everything for my benefit. I see that the Holy Spirit is guiding me in this way. Amen!!!

My Ups and Downs

Blogging can be a difficult thing. I feel I have so much to say, but am unable to articulate my thoughts into typed words on a daily basis. So, here goes. My son's gf diet is going. When I heard about the disease I, of course, researched a ton on the Internet. Most of what I read was about what a miracle the gf diet was for someone or their family member. This has not been the case for us. My son had slowly cut off different foods and now has a very short list of foods he is willing to eat. This makes it very difficult when you add medical limitations to your diet. He has not changed the way he eats. He has always been a grazer and does not eat large amounts at one sitting. He has definitely not gained any weight, either. The only change we have seen so far is that he no longer complains about stomach pain and his bowl movements are much more normal. He also has not vomited for 8 months (I am not counting when actually had a bug, since it was not caused by gluten ingestion). So, I can see that this is an improvement, but we were expecting so much more and are somewhat disheartened that, for us, the miracle we were hoping for will occur at a slow rate. This is a daily battle for me especially, being that I am responsible for all food preparations. I am constantly filled with guilt and worry about whether or not I have contaminated his food. I sometimes am so desperate that I will pray over his food asking God to ensure that it is in fact 100% gf. I have finally accepted the fact that, at least for awhile, he will be a grazer of food. I am so thankful to God that this disease is treated naturally and will cause him no long term damage (as long as he is gf). That is the biggest blessing of all. I am also blessed to have friends who support me and encourage me. My friend R.R. who went so far as to prepare a gf meal for my son so he could spend the night with her son. Also my friend C.D. who is always on the lookout for new gf foods that I can't find where I live. My friend L.C. who found other bloggers going through what I am. And of course, all my other friends who listen to my frustrations and triumphs and offer their prayers of support. I love that God gave us friend relationships!!!

On another note, I wanted to share a praise with all of you. My son had asked Jesus to come into his heart about two months ago. Well, the worrying mom that I am, I prayed for God to show me that His spirit was living in my son. Yesterday, my son was reading his AWANAS book (he needed to memorize some scripture) and he read this verse: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9. Then he tells me that this verse was for him; that God was telling him this. I told him (while saying a thank you to God) that yes, that verse was just for him from God. Amen!!! (Back story: He is scared of the dark and has a difficult time falling asleep alone in his room)