I Never Thought . . .

I never thought that I would clean up puke . . . from a minivan . . . my minivan. Neither did my mother-in-law.

I never thought that I would allow my kids to watch TV, just to bring a few moments of peace.

I never thought that I would own a cow.

I never knew that I would have the privilege of teaching my children to trust me, so that they learn to trust God.

I never thought that I would enjoy skiing.

I never thought that I would sip on a bit of silver.

I never thought that I would wear my babies.

I never thought that I would like spicy food.

I never thought that I would remotely enjoy sauerkraut.

I never thought that I would have biological children.


I never thought that I would have three of those biological children . . . without drugs.

I never thought that knowing where my food comes from or knowing my local farmer would be important to me.

I never ever thought that I would have a water birth.

I never thought that I would have brown walls in my house.

I never thought that I would treasure leftover egg shells and fruit peels.

I never imagined that I would love my husband more today than 16+ years ago.

I never thought that I would buy used toys.

I never thought that I wouldn't wear earrings.

I never thought that I would enjoy acupuncture.

I never thought my husband would look more amazing today than 16+ years ago.

I never thought I would enjoy playing games.

I never thought I would enjoy entertaining.

But I am glad that all of these things have happened and are a part of my life.

What about you?

Laurel Hasner Photography Giveaway has a Winner!

And we have a winner . . . . Sarah! But there were two Sarah's that entered. So, girls are you getting excited? Which one is it? Send me an email at TheGranolaMom4God@gmail.com and I'll let you know!

For those of you who didn't win, I am giving you a really yummy soup recipe to warm you up on this cool and rainy spring day! Thanks for entering! Stay tuned for more giveaways!

Minestrone Soup

(my favorite recipe yet for this soup)

3 Tbls butter

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 yellows squash, halved and sliced

1 Zucchini, halved and sliced

1 lb Italian sausage (I would switch it for homemade beef sausage)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

6 c stock (chicken, beef, or a combination)

1/2 lb favorite pasta shape

3 or 4 tomatoes, diced

In a soup pot, brown the sausage and drain the excess grease from cooked sausage. Add the butter and saute onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Add the squash and zucchini, seasoning with oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and the stock. Bring to a boil. Add the pasta and simmer until pasta is cooked through. Serve with crusty bread and grated cheese.

www.PaperBackSwap.com = Free Books! (Kind of)

I hobbled into the store, carrying my heavy load of once prized books. At eight months pregnant, I was large and on a mission. I was anxious to unload these books, as they loomed taller than Pikes Peak on my final pregnancy nesting plans. My hormonal body believed that a child could not be born and brought into our home if these books remained untouched on our bookshelves. They must go. There wasn't enough room for a second baby and a stack of books. To treat ourselves for de-cluttering, this book sale was to be the creative revenue to fund our evening's date. I was sure that they would delight the lucky sleuth who found them at Half Price Books.

We walked out of Half Price Books with about $8.00.

It was hard to not take this as a slap in the face. We would have to share a meal that night. Certainly, no movie or popcorn for us. I felt defeated and rejected. Those books represented several hundred dollars and hours of reading. There had to be a better way to get a return on my collection of words.

Two years later, I found the answer. I was having lunch with Laurel, the classy lady who is hosting my most recent giveaway. We were discussing good parenting books and Bible studies. She mentioned that she would put my recently read books on her wish list through PaperBackSwap.

Tell me more!

Do you have a lot of books lying around the house? The reality is that if you take them to Half Price Books you will probably get $8 for them and if you go to Goodwill . . . . well, nothing but a tiny tax deduction, if you are lucky.

The solution? PaperBackSwap! (No, I am not getting money for this post. But I will receive a credit toward a book when you sign up using the ad at the bottom of this post and you list 10 or more books!) I think that this site is a creative tool to get rid of books you no longer use and gain books that you would like to read. Look at some of the great books I have already swapped!

How do you do it? Easy! You will have over 3,000,000 books waiting at your fingertips!

1. Click on the below, colorful PaperBackSwap blue ad.

2. Post all of the books you are willing to swap. Typically, you just enter in the ISBN located on the back of each book.

3. After you post 10 books, you will receive 2 free book credits as a "welcome to the club" gift.

4. Browse for books that you would like to read or give as a gift using the search page.

5. Order the book or put it on your wish list if it isn't currently available.

6. When another member requests a book from your electronic bookshelf, you will receive an email alerting you. (And don't worry--by signing up, you will not be bombarded by emails, unless you post a lot of books!)

7. Accept the request and mail the book using media mail, which is approximately $2.23 for less than one pound. You can print the wrapper and pay for postage directly from your PaperBackSwap account.

8. Mail the book!

One Credit=One Book

You can even do this for DVD's and CD's!

PaperBackSwap has blessed our homeschooling bookshelf for significantly less than if I had bought everything new or even at Half Price Books.

Happy Reading!

History Repeating Itself

I saw history repeat itself.

I used to watch my husband play football. On Saturday, I watched my husband's son play football. Thanks to my College Roomie, I was able to catch some great photos of this monumental moment in our lives.

I can't be this old!

Moms cringe at the thought of their precious child entering this world of aggression and bodily contact. However, football taught my husband some fundamental concepts that shaped his goals and tenacity for life.

Football offers an education in teamwork, the value of practice and hard work, perseverance in all situations, boldness instead of timidity, an appropriate place to release aggression, and conditioning.

As Vince Lombardi once said, "The Good Lord gave you a body that can withstand most anything, it is your mind you must convince."

Keeping my life in Perspective

For a brief time we lived in India. I learned a lot. It radically shifted my thinking and has forever changed my life. I am thankful for running, clean water. I am thankful to eat the skin of an apple. I appreciate electricity a lot more. I enjoy quiet when I step outside of my home.

However, it didn't change the fact that I am a bit of a pessimist. Show me a glass filled half-way, and I will tell you it is half-empty, rather than half-full.

And so, at times I have to reign in my thoughts and take them captive. One such attempt is this little letter that God and I wrote. It hangs in my kitchen, to remind me of what is reality. It causes me to step back and look at how blessed I am.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16) Dear, remember to respond to the boys with the Word of God and teach them to do likewise. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (Psalm 100:4) Play worship music! It stands to reason that you would probably sin less or raise your voice less if you are reminded of the way My angels sing in heaven. Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! (1 Chronicles 16:8) Praise those cute boys for the things they do well. Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34) And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will. (Leviticus 22:29) Don’t wait to feel like praising Me, you know God, your Creator. Praise Me that Mr. Smackdown, Mr. Easy, and Mr. Smiley poop, pee, eat well, and have noses that work. Praise me because they have strong immune systems. That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works. (Psalm 26:7) Poopy diapers mean out with the bad! Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalm 107:8) Child, respond with love, even when the children don’t deserve it. I even responded in love when Peter denied me three times. Remember how I also healed that guy's ear when the group came to arrest me? And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. (Daniel 6:10) Stop and give thanks and ask the boys to do so with you. And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”(Luke22:19) Praise Jesus that you have received salvation. Likewise, offer yourself as a sacrifice to the Hubby and the boys. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57) Love well, give hugs and kisses, tickle, wrestle and play more. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14) Stop and play—chores aren’t eternal. Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20) Daughter, you have three children and according to the doctors you weren't supposed to have any! Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6) I love the boys and Brian more than you, and will take care of them. Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. (Colossians 1:12) Life is short, pray, laugh, live, love HARD. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17) Laundry, dishes, cleaning—give thanks that I make it possible through your husband for you stay home. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:4) Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name (Hebrews 13:15) saying: “ We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. (Revelation 11:17)

You may be wondering how the India picture and the letter above are related. They aren't even remotely related. I was looking for a picture to accompany my ramblings, and came across this woman carrying wood. It struck me as something radically different from my life and I wanted to share.