Literary Heroines, Clarkson life and a Twitter chat party!

Sunday night found me curled in a ball of tense nerves trying to figure it all out. How to keep priorities, what is my stewardship, how to manage all of my commitments and keeping peace at home. My two girls have become my companions in spiritual decisions. How grateful I am to have such rich souls right in my own home. I told them of my flutterings of mind to get it all done: This week for me holds the Colorado Conference--so excited to see so many of you.

The Twitter chat--looking forward to connecting with many of you there. For more information see below and go here for Sarah Mae's excellent article explaining it all!

Pondering deadlines, international commitments, books I want to write, family commitments, and so much more.

Sarah, (my daughter)  had written a blog post this weekend on her own site that focusses on the picture of life I hope I have lived and want to live--but to live such an intentional life automatically means a limitation of commitments. And so I am pondering my limitations. I know you will enjoy her lovely, soul-filling writing as you ponder your own life.

I take my respites when I can get them. This Christmas, between crazed bouts of typing and the ever-quickening whirlwind of all the family at home, I watchedLittle Dorrit, the BBC adaptation of Dicken’s famous novel. A fantastic knot of interwoven lives as usual, this particular  story centers all on young Amy Dorrit. Born in debtor’s prison, she has spent her young life caring for her mournful father and striving to keep her little family together.

Everyone relies on Amy, and she strives to keep everyone’s faith while cooking for this one, or getting that one out of debt, or comforting another after the loss of a job. All while life swirls around her in the sort of drama that only Dickens can conjure. The story is good, yet Amy stays with me beyond it all. Even now, several weeks after I watched it, I am still stirred strangely in my soul by this one stouthearted little woman. She walked into my thoughts and took up lodging, and now she calls me to action. For the rest of the post, go to thoroughlyalive.com

Now, here is a part of Sarah Mae's post that I hope will answer some of your questions about our chat tomorrow night! :

If you would like to spend some time having Sally answering some of your mom questions, join us this Tuesday at the #momheart Twitter chat. Sally will be giving away some books and DVD’s and a grand prize of a full conference pass to one of her Mom Heart conferences (held in Colorado (sold out), North Caroline, California, and Texas).  You do not have to R.S.V.P, just show up and we’ll guide you!

Details: Follow: @sarahmaewrites and @Sally_Clarkson

Hashtag: #momheart for the Chat conference to join us!

Date: Tuesday, January 18th Time: 9-10pm EST

Where: Twitter Recommended Way to Tweet: Tweet Chat

*If you do not already have a Twitter account, you can sign up for one for free at Twitter.com.

If you would like further help on navigating through a Twitter chat, read this wonderfully helpful how-to post.

I would so appreciate your prayers for me and my family as we go into our busy conference weeks. We have a lot on our plate, but we are all excited to be able to speak and minister. Our whole family will be with you in California and all three kids and Clay and I will be in Dallas and Raleigh. Pray for good health, strong emotional and spiritual well-being, protection on flights and for all the details to go well. We so appreciate those of you who pray for us. Have a great week.

Sunday Tea Time

Ostfriesische Rose ~ Stefan Scheer

Tea, though ridiculed by those who are naturally coarse in their nervous sensibilities will always be the favorite beverage of the intellectual.   ~Thomas de Quincey 1785-1859

Don't you think Sunday afternoons are just the right time for a steaming cup of tea, hot, fresh cream scones straight from  the oven, clotted cream, Blackberry jam, classical music, candles and a soothing memory made? Sounds so very civilized, doesn't it? Happy Sunday afternoon tea time to all!

Music: the power to stimulate the brain to language and intelligence

Six weeks of a Christmas break is finally over and Joel is in a plane somewhere between Monument and Boston. How fun to have him home, daily playing his music, composing new pieces, and setting up new play lists for me for my ipod. I found some new composers that I have on my pandora. Ralph Von Williams, Alexandre Desplat and others are new favorites. In light of having music playing all the time and lifting our spirits, I found a great article about how much it cultivates intelligence and other articles talked about health and well being and calmness in children and so much more. Enjoy this article and turn on beautiful music this weekend.

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=601

The Destiny of the next generation depends on you!

Yesterday, I was with a little baby that had recently been adopted by a foster mom from a local family. The 7 month old baby could not sit up, lay listless, and was failure to thrive. I began to rub her sweet little head and talk enthusiastically to her and squeeze her little hand--she began to kick her little leg, her eyes began to search, looking, opening, grasping--there was a precious little personality hidden inside, but dormant from neglect. It impassioned me again to raise the clarion call of just how important these precious ones are to God--so much potential, but so fragile.

There is nothing more precious to God than the lives of His creatures. He crafted us, each of us uniquely, with the impression of His Image--his likeness, that we should become a reflection of His very nature--His love, intelligence, creative, artistic nature, civilizing, powerful, industrious personhood. And yet, then, He made us in the form of a tiny, dependent baby so that mothers would have the privilege and stewardship of molding the baby's brain, body, soul and values at her own hands. We are given this great task of preserving righteousness in every generation by being able to disciple, instruct and build our children into those who would love Him, know Him, be excellent in character, and giving His light and love to a dark world.

But, we must have a heart for our task--we must find joy, excitement, energy to realize that in our hands we hold the future of the next generation! That is why your Mom Heart Matters--you were designed by God to be the key to the next generation! But God also designed us as relational people--we need friends who hold our ideals. We need mentors who have gone before us to show us how! We need prayer and encouragement to take this high road in this time in history--to know that we are not wasting our lives, but investing in eternity! That is why we designed the Mom's Heart (previously Whole Hearted Mother) Conferences--to build a growing movement of spirituality all over the world by training moms to raise leaders in their home.) Come join us this year!

I would love to see a sweeping movement of the Holy Spirit all over the world because of moms learning to be intentional about raising wholehearted children for God's glory and see that we salt the future with godly leaders. Would you help me by writing a short blog post or putting it in your face book or twittering about it? It will be so much fun to see just what the Lord can do in this generation and to think we could have been a part of a great awakening.

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Now to generate some good discussion, I would love to know what you all think of this article--The Tiger Mother--why Chinese parents produce such outstanding children. Let me know what you think about this--do you agree or disagree? I agree with some of her methods and not with other aspects--would love to hear from you!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter

Favorites from 2010

What a great year 2010 was for me. I will never be able to recount all of the memories and blessings and friends--but here are a few of some highlights that came to my mind tonight as I was reminiscing........

I have never had Joy, Sarah, and Joel all at the same time in Vienna--my second home. Since Joel was born in Vienna, he was thrilled to be able to be with us and to attend a wonderful concert in the famous Musik Verein where we heard Motzart. Sarah and I have many memories together here, but to finish Joy's trip here and to make "favorite" places with her was so fun. We four were such an easy-going little traveling troop--such a grand memory. It was one of my best memories being in this wonderful city with them. Next time, Clay and Nate will have to come!

I found Chocolove's Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Almond bars and fell in love with it!

Pandora is new to me and I gave it to myself as a Christmas gift--for a yearly subscription, so that I could make up my own channels of music and play it all the time--at home and on the road. I enjoy it every day all day.

My 15 year old trip with Joy--since she was a little one, she has always been dragged around with all the older kids. She has had to wait her turn to get her turn to jump in to the many conversations and happenings. I loved, loved, loved being alone with her. She is a hoot, funny, adventurous, spiritual, great mind, sweet friend and so much fun. Great memories and blessings.

I have dreamed for years of having a smaller conference in my home to train leaders and feed them home-cooked meals, share ideas and inspiration, tea times, discussions and this year, 52 sweet women from all over the world, took a chance and came together for our first mom-heart intensive training. What a blessing each of them was to me. We learned a lot and hope to be doing 4 more this year, but with just 20 women at each one--but a favorite memory. (My wonderful 9, mentioned below, are in here--Jerrine, Deb, Shelley, Stacy, Micala, Denise, Karla, Kellie, Brandee--and my sweet team friends, Lynn, Beth, Sandra, and Zan)

My every Sunday afternoon phone call to my cell phone from Nathan, without fail, to talk and catch up on life and the long stem white rose he gave me Christmas Eve that is just now wilting.

My sweet little group of 10 women came together who work with me on conferences, pray together, do the intensives, and they are my support system that I couldn't live without. Also an unusual blessing this year-a kiss from God.

Memories from Ellis Island--Statue of Liberty

My history group that meets every Wednesday, took a historical historical trip to Boston, New York City and Philadelphia and trained the whole way. We had been planning to do this for a couple of years and it was so much fun.

My verse for the year that the Lord used a lot, "I am humble and meek. Learn from me." Don't remember anyplace else Jesus said, "Learn from me." Am still pondering that.

The Relevant Blogging conference where I met Sarah Mae after being online friends and had such a great time with so many other inspiring women. (likeawarmcupofcoffee.com)

Really enjoyed two new books by friends:

Small Steps for Catholic Moms by Elizabeth Foss --Elizabeth is one of my favorite thoughtful writers and she included in this book so many quotations and thoughts by some of my favorite writers throughout history--the saints of old, and I found it quite thoughtful. (http://www.elizabethfoss.com/)

Also blessed by 1000 Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voscamp Such grace-giving words that take you to the heart of God,(http://www.aholyexperience.com/)

Always heartened by her writing, insights, recommendations and the many, many comments and bits of love and encouragement from my friend Brenda. We were sisters in another life. She always "does me good." (coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com)

Of course my sweet husband, Clay, who has loved me in spite of it all, for so many years and partnered together in the adventure of life, children, ministry, writing and always one more ideal.

There are so many ways He blessed me and so many more memories, moments, graces and joys this year and so many of you were used by Him to bless me. I am very fortunate and filled with peace and joy just to reflect on it all. Love  and wishes for your year this year to be so blessed.

Imagination ~ Something to Think About

Growing up, my siblings and I were almost constantly in the throes of some imagined story -- shipwrecked travelers, desperate orphans, disguised royalty, westward pioneers. After our obligatory hour of reading, our afternoons were often spent outdoors in worlds available only through the creative power of our minds -- worlds often introduced through the stories we had read... In the past few years I have come to the conclusion that those hours of imagination gave me far more than just good memories. As I have begun writing my first books and done a bit of speaking all over the United States, numerous people have asked me what gave me the ability to dream, what drove my desires and shaped my goals. How did my brother become a composer? My other brother a writer? What was the secret to our upbringing? The answer is simple: God, family, and ... imagination.

Imagination is too often described as a 'childish' thing -- attributed only to the young, the very creative, or the 'artsy' and impractical. But in reality, imagination is a transformative force that is common to all people who dream deeply enough to accomplish something of worth with their lives. At its core, imagination is the ability to envision the future we desire, the force enabling us to pursue a dream whose reality is radically different from the present. We cannot set out on a road of great hopes and determination if we have no concept of what it is we are journeying toward. Imagination drives inspired action." ~ Sarah Clarkson in Read for the Heart pp. 147-148

When my children were younger, we had an hour of quiet time every afternoon. They each had their own basket of books, carefully selected by mom, and a treat of some type. This was an hour I truly appreciated! Mommies need a break from the go, go, go of mothering. This hour also blessed my children. They read books about history, science, Christian history, and fiction of all sorts.

These books helped stir my children's imaginations. They could be bold heroes or delicate princesses. Every era of history could be acted out! One of our favorites was Roxaboxen, which directed hours of pretend. This sweet book is about children playing outdoors and creating their own town, Roxaboxen.

Old clothes from Goodwill and garage sales and hand sewn capes became the wardrobe for my budding actors and actresses. They made props out of anything and everything.

Children are creative, given the opportunity. If they have been given a solid diet of TV and video games, they might struggle a bit with using their minds to amuse themselves. Our culture encourages conformity, not individuality. Our Creator God gave us minds that can imagine. Schedule time this week for your children to play, indoors or outdoors and give them resources for play (dress up clothes and props)  and use their imaginations!

Here are some great children's fiction that Sarah recommends: Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink A Little Maid series by Alice Turner Curtis The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois

These are books that make wonderful read alouds as a family, or they can be given to older children to read on their own. What book are you reading to your children this season? May the Lord bless you as you stoke the fires of your children's imaginations! Pick up Sarah's book with 384 inspiring pages!

Simple Meals That Bring Comfort-Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup Recipe!

The past few days have been cooollllllllddddd as can be. We have been below zero for several days. And add to that, I am preparing for our 4 conferences and do not want a big mess or complicated meal.

I think the high yesterday  the high was around 7 degrees. Seems too cold to go outside for anything. Soup and bread on days like this brings such great steamy aroma and grace to a house closed to the outside world.

A little crusty bread, some instrumental music wafting through the air, several candles lit,  and we are all set for a winter feast. I made up a new recipe of bread this weekend and my family loves it. I do promise that someday I will attempt to give you my recipe, but I am a little inexact--a bit of this, a smidge of that--and so I hate to give out something so imperfect.

Now to the soup....

There is just something about this simple recipe that brings me and my family comfort.  The smell of the onion & garlic sautéing in the pot, the sound of chopping carrots and zucchini... I am pretty sure it starts with the preparation of this easy meal that brings on the comfort. My kids shuffle into the kitchen and ask, "What is that wonderful smell? What are you making Mom? Oh, I can't wait for dinner tonight!"

As a busy mom, I don't always have dinner planned out. So it has been my goal to have staple recipes that I have made over and over again to choose from after such a consuming day.  These staple recipes always bring to my mind fond memories around the table or smiles of approval from my kids, as well as knowing it will be a quick fix meal!  If I am out and about and I didn't get to making a menu for the week, my only option is not to drive through the fast food place, because  I usually know what little I do have in the pantry and the little I would need to complete this dish of comfort for my family. I sometimes  throw in a nice fresh loaf of french bread  or one of my homemade loaves from the freezer, and my family really thinks I do have it all together!

And so, during these cold winter months, take some time to try this simple and comforting recipe. Then take a moment to come up with your own staple recipes that you can whip up in no time and feel good about feeding your family. Our meals should be shared with the ones we love. The little time we invest in making home - cooked meals makes a lasting impression on our family and our health!

"We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink..." ~Epicurus

Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1-2 onions, peeled & diced

6-8 cloves garlic, peeled & minced

10-12 Italian sausage, remove casings & cut into bite size pieces (Last night I used organic chicken-apple sausage)

2 large cans diced tomatoes

16 oz can of tomato sauce

4-6 cups of beef broth

4 cups of chicken broth

4-6 carrots, peeled & diced

4-6 zucchini, diced

1 large package of cheese tortellini (last night I cut up 4 potatoes and pressure cooked them in 4 minutes and it made a thickish, saucy feel to the soup.)

*Parmesan cheese, grated (optional topping)

Directions:

In a large stock pot, over medium heat, saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic & saute 1-2 min longer. Then add sausage and stir until cooked through. Reserving the zucchini & tortellini, add remaining ingredients and bring slowly to a boil. When soup has reached boiling point, turn heat down to a simmer. Add zucchini & tortellini and simmer for 10-15 min more.  Serve in large bowls and top with parmesan cheese.  Goes great with a loaf of soft french bread-or a loaf of homemade from the freezer. (I make 5-6 loaves at once.)

*If you want to double recipe and freeze for later, this is an excellent way to save time. Just be sure not to add the tortellini & zucchini until after you have defrosted & returned soup to a simmer. Sometimes I use great northern beans (white beans) or whole grain macaroni instead of the tortellini. I usually freeze my soup in a large freezer bag (lay a piece of cardboard in your freezer and place freezer bag on top so it freezes flat, then you have more room in your freezer when you freeze bags like this. You can stack them or place them in freezer door upright after frozen). You can also freeze your tortellini & cut up zucchini right along side your soup so the meal is ready to go from the freezer!

Yummmmm......is it ok to have leftover soup for breakfast? Enjoy.

Grace undeserved

Love a man, even in his sin, for that love is a likeness of the divine love and is the summit of love on earth.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Life in the contemporary is standing against my ability to be mature all the time. The pace of life, the interruptions, the lack of time by myself to become centered, and the constant flow of food and messes are the hardest for me or most stressful for my personality, I must say. Looking back at this post from a few years ago, I see that often the struggle with myself is still pretty much the same. But even as I see the beauty of His hands all around me, and His grace happens every day, so I know His grace for my frail humanity is constant and new every morning. Great is his faithfulness.

Everything is a rush and hurry and then a wait and see. Yesterday, I found myself sinning far too easily. After three attempts to confirm some seats on a plane going overseas, I finally got the auto response to go almost to the point of confirming seats, after thirty minutes of frustration. I did not find it humorous that a very soothing, recorded voice was placed precisely at one point of choosing an arbitrary host of numbers, to comfort me---though I know a machine cannot really feel emotion. "I'm sorry! I didn't understand you. It must be my fault."(Can a machine be faulted for making mistakes and can it feel sorry Does it really care for my frustration???)

Finally, a real and very surly woman answered my phone call. I gave her all the right numbers for our ticket and then told her I wanted to be sure to secure seats on our overseas flight, as the seat numbers were deleted from the confirmation I had received on the Internet.

"You cannot secure seats until the morning of the flight. It is company policy that once we book our flight more than 45%, we cannot give out anymore seats. And, by the way, I am the supervisor, and there is no one higher than me that you can talk to!" (Obviously, she had had a difficult day and didn't even want to have to address the fact that there was no one higher up that I could talk to---and we had only just begun our conversation. Could there have been a hard phone call before she ever got to me?)

"I have never heard of an overseas flight where I couldn't get my seat assignment. I am traveling with three of my children and would like to sit close together," I said in my most authoritative voice.

"If your children are over 10, they can obviously sit anywhere on the plane by themselves, and I can't guarantee that they won't all be in different rows. You will just have to wait until you get to the gate. Obviously you haven't traveled very much. It is always done this way."

I raised to my full-bodied stature at this point, even though she couldn't see my shock or my rising at such a statement. After all, I had been traveling overseas for over thirty years and had never come across this particular problem or such a definitively closed airline operator.

In a very irrational and immature moment, I asked the woman, "If I call back, is there a good chance I won't have to talk to you again?!" Well, I had been on the phone a long time and she wasn't very nice to me and I did have a hard day and........

Immediately, when I had hung up the phone, remorse set in. The accusatory finger in my mind said, "Well, that was real mature! Bet you made that lady feel real good. I can't believe you are a serious, committed Christian, and you actually talked to someone like that! The Lord is so disappointed in you. Probably He is eventually going to quit using you in influencing others, because you just keep blowing it!"

I must admit, when my own life is stressful, and I have had a hard day, I want sympathy, kindness, forgiveness, grace. I want someone to understand that I am doing my best and to tell me it is ok. It is what I want from God. It is what I want from my husband. It is what I want from my children.

My heart became open to the Spirit's prompting. Just happened, my morning reading came across this verse: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Now this much I already knew and agreed with.

But the context of the verse was further explained, "Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jew or Greek or the church of God. Even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many in order that they may be saved." I Cor. 10: 31-32

So, I glorify God, not by knowing all the right theological answers, or by keeping a perfect house, or having quiet times every day, but by glorifying God by seeking the good of everyone else--even a stressed out operator.

My sweet children have taught me this. They see through false piety. They know what it means to be fair. They comment on other adults in our lives who speak loudly about piety but whose lives scream loudly of hypocrisy. But, they are also very willing to forgive.

Joy placed her arm around me and sat sweetly in my lap. At almost 12,(now almost 16)  it is too rare of an occurrence, (but she still does sit in my lap on occasion), but oh so cherished. "Mom, we'll get some seats. Don't you worry. It always works out." A kiss on my cheek and then she was gone. Suddenly I saw God' s glory in an unsuspecting angel in my own home, who chose to give me grace, and then I felt He, the one from whom patience and love was given their meaning, had gently restored me to himself.

Sabbath Ponderings

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1

May you hear the whisperings of His voice in your life today and know the reality of His constant presence. "I will be with you, even to the end of the age."

The Perfect Cuppa

I almost blew a gasket yesterday. Somehow eventually got off on the wrong foot, got irritated at a silly thing, ranted and raved about it, rushed around too much, griped and complained, got lost going to a new place for piano lessons and offended one of my children sort of day. Do you ever have that kind of day?

I know people have asked if I just sit around and drink tea and read and have all my ducks in a row--but that isn't real life for me. But it is why (and I learned it when I lived in Europe for 6 years), having a cuppa tea in the middle of the afternoon, is a sort of anchor. It brings a few minutes of quiet, sitting still, trying to catch my breath, centering again.

But if you make it in a real china cup, turn on some soothing music, light a candle--all which takes about 30 seconds, then it is not just a serge of caffeine, but it becomes an experience, an event in your day. And of course I have passed this habit on to all of my children. An aaaaahhhhhhhhh moment to save the day.

There is actually a "right" way to brewing this cup of tea. My favorite tea has been Yorkshire Gold for several years, but now I like regular Yorkshire and Barry's Gold, too. And sometimes in a pot, I use 3 bags of one of the above and one of Earl Grey. It gives it a little zing of a taste to a whole pot. I ever travel with my own china tea cup and bags just to make sure I stop sometime to have my little moment, even when I travel. Saves my attitude many a day.

I have a fun link for you about making the perfect cuppa. Click here to learn the secrets of tea brewing bliss from Yorkshire Gold, my favorite tea! Just like the perfect cup of tea, this website takes a while to load.

Enjoy!