1 hour ago
Yesterday was Good Friday. Tomorrow is Resurrection Day.
I don't like to let this time of year go past without saying something on my blog about why we celebrate. It isn't because of the arrival of spring, or to give honor to bunny rabbits while we stuff ourselves with boiled eggs and Peeps. All that stuff can be fun, but the real reason we celebrate Easter, as Christians, is to remember our Savior. His death. And how He came to life again, to save us!
This is the seventh Easter that I've celebrated since I've been blogging. That's a lot of posts to come up with over the years.
This is the most important holiday to me, even more than Christmas. Without Christ's death and resurrection, we could not be saved. That's huge, and I want to always spend time reflecting on what Jesus did for us.
So on Thursday I grabbed my old hymnal, hoping to glean some inspiration while the kids were napping. I read through so many hymns. I couldn't find a single one to use today, mostly because I've shared all my favorites before.
Finally I just put the hymnal aside, and sat there thinking. I thought about how Jesus lived His life on earth all those years knowing what was coming. And I wondered how He felt when He thought about the death He was going to die.
I just had a baby a few months ago. As silly as it is, the thing that flashed through my mind was how I felt late last year. I knew labor was coming soon. I knew how it would feel since I experienced it once already with Wyatt. And last year, as I waited, I felt anxious and scared when I thought about it.
But I also thought about what was to come after. I knew at the end I'd be holding a beautiful baby, and I tried to think of that instead.
As bad as labor pains can be, crucifixion is worse. It's the most painful way to die, and not only was there the physical pain for Jesus, but there was also all the pain and isolation that would come when the sins of everyone in history were laid upon His shoulders. It can't be compared to labor - I know it was much worse.
And Jesus knew that. How did He feel when He thought about it? Was He scared?
I think in His humanness He was, a little bit. I think that's why He prayed asking God if there was some other way.
But I think Jesus also thought about what was to come after. The Life He would give us when He rose again.
And that was worth it to Him.
In the words of my hymnal . . .
Jesus Paid It All. On Good Friday.
And tomorrow? We remember that Christ Our Lord Is Risen Today!
Hallelujah! What a Savior.
Gwen is officially allergic to milk. By officially, I mean that through the process of elimination, I have determined that she's allergic to milk. It was a sad day. I am still trying to figure out peanuts and soy, but I'm hoping this is something she'll grow out of - in the meantime, I have to avoid dairy. And as a dairy-loving girl myself, this is pretty detrimental to my favorite foods list.
In an attempt to replace my beloved Starbucks, I decided to make some flavored syrup for my coffee, and I have deemed it a success! And it's also cheaper than buying that fancy flavored syrup. So without further ado, here is my recipe for coffee syrup!
Homemade Caramel-Flavored Coffee Syrup
1 cup of water
2 cups of sugar
2 tsp. caramel flavoring
(or any other type of flavoring you want)
1. Bring 1 cup water to a boil.
2. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the flavoring.
3. Stir and simmer on low until syrup reaches desired thickness. Pour into mason jars and store in fridge.
And that, my friends, is that! I use a little bit of the syrup and mix it with coffee, rice milk, and ice for a delicious non-dairy Starbucks alternative. I actually think I like it better than Starbucks iced coffee (gasp!).
Plus I can make it with decaf coffee. Every time I order a decaf iced coffee (anywhere, not just at Starbucks) I'm informed that they don't have iced coffee in decaf. And I always wonder, why not? Just pour some decaf over ice and serve it to me. But they won't do it. So I guess I just have to do it myself!
I'm thinking of making some other flavors too - vanilla, peppermint (so I can attempt a peppermint mocha), coconut? The possibilities are endless . . .
The Christian Mama's Guide To Parenting A Toddler by Erin MacPherson includes topics from getting your child to eat healthier, to teaching a love of learning, to getting back to date night with your husband. Each chapter covers a specific topic and give tips relating to that topic, along with a Bible verse and prayer.
The moment I started this book, I immediately wondered if the author was a blogger. Something about her style of writing? So I turned to the page with the author's bio, and I found out she is a blogger! Can I call it or what? I guess sometimes bloggers can just spot one of their own.
I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. While I did not agree with everything the author said (ex. didn't like some of her suggestions on dealing with toddler tantrums), she included a ton of tips and ideas that I would like to try. Her writing style is easy to read, and I found myself laughing and relating to her stories all the way through the book.
When you are a toddler mom it's easy to wonder if you are doing anything right, but she tells it like it is in this book in a fun way. I left feeling encouraged and normal, and like I'm not alone. As I said, even though I didn't agree with everything she said, I would recommend this book just because it was so fun to read, and I think I may look into some of the other books in the "Christian Mama's Guide" series.
Note: I received this book for free from Booksneeze in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
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