Changed My Mind

I am again blogging. Just not here. I need to change things up a bit I guess just to keep everyone awake and on their toes. So come on over to our newly decorated “living room.”
And bookmark it, ok?
http://ericandkari.vox.com

 

One (more) Thing

We arrived home last night around 11:45p. Thank you Jesus! It’s SO good to be home. It was even more awesome to stand outside and breathe in the 65 degree air. Wow! We’ve been in 20’s in Nebraska most of the time we were gone.

Today was full with an airport run, washing clothes and bedding (puking kids, ya know…) putting away, rearranging, cleaning out the fridge, making a trip to Costco, planning meals and snacks for OneThing, and attempting a fire in the fireplace….but alas, the wood is still wet.

Tomorrow all here in KC hit the ground running to work the conference. I believe the crazy weather is just a slight rumble of the heavens as we set our faces to seek the Beautiful One and see Him release thousands of young ones into their callings. It’s gonna be awesome. You should come!

 

Over the river and through the woods

It’s been a holly jolly busy week!  After ministering a week ago, we spent this past week here and there and all around.  Wednesday saw us in mid Nebraska visiting great grandma.  She was tipped off by a lurking family member (Kristi) but we had a nice dinner with her and got some shopping done.

Friday Eric and I drove to Ft. Collins to see our dear friends and her family.  It was a quick 24 hour jaunt, however we had a great time and a nice drive home.

Monday afternoon we were in the car again to the eastern end of Nebraska for a Christmas-y get together.  We love to chat and play games and drink coffee with the local folk here.  I had planned to drive back 3 hours to the inlaws, however at 2 am when the coffee ran out we ended up spending the night. You wouldn’t think so, but  brushing your teeth with soap and a wash cloth works pretty darn good.

Today we finished up our Christmas shopping and are hanging out waiting for my brother-in-law and his family.  We’ll open gifts in about an hour.  We usually have sandwiches and soup and play a few games.  Tomorrow morning we spend with my side of the fam.   Yay!

I’m looking forward to getting home and going to OneThing.  I’ve had some special moments with Jesus but with all the busyness, I’m just really longing for those quiet alone times with Him.  So hope you all find that quiet mystical place in the midst of the blessings of life this holiday season.  Merry Christmas!

Eric and I Wed. night before we walked in the Living Nativity….bbbrrrrr

Eric coloring the roots of my hair

The kids got to open one gift last night from gram and gramps….Gracie was elated to get “Julie” the American doll

Homemade scones this morning, SO YUMMY!  Almond Poppyseed with whip

Phin Phin in the present pile

 

Waiting in line at JC Penney the other day I witnessed an interesting conversation between Uri and an 80ish year old woman. It went kinda like this:

80 lady: Is Santa coming to your house this year?

Uri: (without hesitation or cracking a smile) Santa is dead.

80 lady: What’d he say?

grandma: Oh, nothing…..

80 lady: Do you have any presents under your tree?

Uri: Do you have any presents under your tree?

80 lady: No, no one has brought any presents over to me.

Uri: Is that cuz you’re so old?

 

Pedometers, Seasonal Post it notes and Ceramics

It was a fun time last night out in the garage.  Eric’s mom and I spent the afternoon decorating the garage and preparing for around 30 people.  We had already baked a few things but then put together meatballs, weiners, artichoke jalepeno dip, and a couple relish trays.  The plan was to have Eric make “Kirby Queso” which is the nummiest.  When we were in Austin, TX earlier in the year, Eric and I ordered this like every day.  I’m not exactly sure what happened (it may have had something to do with me putting milk in the cheese product….I dunno) but it ended up being Kirby Queso soup water.  I think it was a combination of the microwaving and milk but who knows.  It was nice poured over chips….in a drippy sort of way.

After food, we had a gift exchange and th

This was pretty involved….

Beautiful Bonnie

You’d look like this if you got seasonal post it notes, too!

 

Tomorrow is the first of two dinner parties this weekend. One Friday one Monday evening. Eric and I were planning on going to visit his grandma this weekend but he’ll be speaking Sunday at my parents church. He’s spent the week praying with the pastor and really been able to get to know him a lot better.

Tonight after dinner with my beautiful cousin and her husband, I’ve been hanging out with my 5 little princesses. My nieces were over so mommy and daddy could go Christmas shopping. Fun times.

And so, not much document-able excitement here. It’s all cartoons and kids and snacks and vacuuming and diapers and bottles and dress up clothes….:)

Pics tomorrow for sure.

 

Uh, Yum!

Today was a good day in the baking department.  With my sister-in-law and her girls and my mother-in-law, we rolled out several goodies.  The kids did well keeping all their sippy cups and snacks off of the new carpet….thank God.  And while the women were in the kitchen stirring and cackling, Grandpa was out on the plains shooting a deer.  She was a good size one, too.

Here’s some pics of the num num.  Below are Coconut Candy Bars, Cake Balls, Peanut Clusters and Magic Raspberry Cookie Bars.  I need to whip up another batch of Coconut Candy Bars, Reindeer Cookies, Peppermint Brownie Balls.  I attempted to make Cherry Mash and it looks more like Red Kool-aid vomit with chunks of chewed up popcorn in it. For real.  That was before the chocolate layer that didn’t want to spread evenly.  Oh, the insanity!  I may have skiped a few steps or ingredients trying to multi-task with the 10 kids in and out of the kitchen. (never a dull moment)

Coconut Candy Bars

Cake Balls

 

Oh,The Festivities

In Nebraska it’s usually “no rest for the weary.”  We tend to find many tasks to accomplish and get togethers to attend (or plan) and this trip is no different.  Yesterday after the Sunday services, we quick got things straightened up to celebrate two of my neices birthdays belated.  Three of the five little ladies just had a birthday within the past three weeks.  Jestena, 5; Kaurlee, 4; and Lilye, 3 now.  The house was packed to the gills with people as usual as we blessed the little “twins.”  I call them twins because they are the exact same size and run along together most of the time, yet 1 year apart.  Fun times.

Today found it’s task in moving furniture and laying new carpet in two rooms in  my in-laws home.  Eric and I wanted to bless them for CHristmas as they richly bless us throughout the year.  We suprised them this afternoon with the carpet being yet half done.  She cried.  It was cool.  We also got to take a couple hour break for coffee at the bux with a Pastor friend of ours and his wife.  It was great conversation and nummy pastries.

Tomorrow Eric will find himself stretching carpet and starting a paint job on a  car for my neice’s preschool teacher. I will most likely be cleaning up and planning dinner with my brother, his family and my parents.  Also on the agenda is preparing for a Christmas get together on Friday evening, holiday baking (yippee!) and trying to plan a meeting dya with our fiery Ft. Collins peeps.  We also will most likely visit Eric’s grandma this week, spend the night and make her breakfast.  We love her.  She’s so feisty!

And so, I must sleep now.  Hopefully with visions of God on my bed.

Uncle Eric praying over the two birthday princesses

Blowing out candles

Lilye~3,  Believe it or not, this makeup is already gone.  They like thick coverage

Kaurlee~4

Where I wanna be right about now

 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases

So, as I was saying….

I was journaling last night just how much I’ve learned in the past week.  Things about God, things about myself, things about my children and family etc…  In short, 3 years ago Gracie our nine year old wore corrective lens for being extremely far-sighted.  She over compensated with her left eye and it crossed.  The first week we were at IHOP the children in her class prayed for all of the kids with glasses and she was healed.  SHe took her glasses off and was able to see one image, not two, clearly.  She has not worn glasses since that day in Feb 2006.  Praise God!

Fast forward to last Sunday morning.  Gracie woke up and her eye was crossed.  I was flabergasted.  She had been not feeling well and I thought well maybe she’s tired and put her back in bed.  Sunday evening…same.  Monday….same.  Tuesday….same.  As Wednesday morning came I was frustrated.  I was irritated.  My heart hurt.  What is going on, I thought.  Why is this happening?  Am I in sin?  Does she need glasses again?  Is this demonic?  Do we have hole in our covering over our children?  What am I going to tell people?  Worse yet, what am I going to tell my inlaws and my parents?  What am I going to tell the optomotrist who knows God healed her?  What am I going to tell the Media dept. who interviewed her about her testimony?  Ugh….and on and on…..

I was up and out the door to my set at the JPR.  I thought, how’s this intercession set going to be when I can’t even pray for my daughter to be healed.  What a loser.  I walked in and one of my dearest friends, who also sings on that same set, was there early too, and so we talked.  As we talked we cried and she spoke the word of the Lord to me.  She said, “Kari, this is not about Gracie.  It is about you.  It’s time for you to take your place and walk in the Lord’s calling for your life, because if you don’t, your kids won’t either.  You as a mom have got to kick the door down and run as hard as you can after the Lord so that your ceiling can be their launching pad.  Nobody’s going to do it for you.  We have this awesome opportunity to declare who God is and to exemplify obedience and boldness to our children.  Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing, and I think our kids are looking for what He’s doing….in us.”

I was struck.  Like an arrow.  Truth searching my heart and finding me wanting.  Why was I irritated with Gracie’s eye?  Was it because I was moved with compassion?  No. Every time I looked at her eye turned in it struck the barrenness in my heart.  I was faced with that which is detestable in my eyes…weakness.  It caused me to rage on the inside.  And I learned much concerning the ways of the Lord.

We were invited to come to Nebraska so Eric could speak this weekend.  That forced us to face our family without anything resolved.  After taking Gracie to the chiropractor on Friday morning, and learning much from her, we started the long trek toward our home town.  Each mile closer we came, the burden in my heart got heavier.  I rehersed situations over and over again.  Unreal situations.  Fear in my own imagination.

We arrived late Friday night and we all went to bed.  The next morning I drug myself out of bed and into the shower.  I stood there with no more to say, no more scenarios, no more insecurities, just broken.  As I toweled off, I said,”Right now I take my place, seated in heavenly places with Christ, and I say that there are no crossed eyes in heaven and I declare on earth as it is in heaven.  I rebuke false symptoms and false signs in the name of Jesus.  Gracie your eye IS straight as an arrow, now and for the rest of your life.”  I felt nothing.

Saturday morning I explained the last week to my inlaws.  They were caring but agreed to trust us as we fasted and prayed about it.  Gracie slept late and woke up at 10ish.  She looked good.  Eye straight.  A few hours later I checked.  Eye straight.  Again, a few hours later, eye straight.  Unbelievable!  I am so thankful to say, it’s still straight.  Sunday night. For real.  Who is this King of glory?

And so, the word of my testimony is that He is good.  He is. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.  His mercies never come to an end.  They are new every morning.  Great is Thy faithfulness!……..And He gave me a winter coat! Now, I’m over the top.

The coat..the blurry upclose version

The coat…….The far away clear version

My daughter’s eyes……straight as an arrow……blue as the sky

 

By the word of their testimony

My heart is so full! I haven’t been in the blog-o-sphere for quite a bit as i haven’t really had much but twaddle to say. Our family has also been holding out in the midst of the storm and feel as if we’ve finally found the eye. I’ve learned so many things these past couple weeks and thus I’ll share in respective blogs from now.

As for now, we’re in Nebraska. Eric is ministering this morning at our home church (thus I shouldn’t be blogging but getting around for the second service…doh..) This afternoon we’ll celebrate the birthdays of three of my nieces (3 birthdays in 3 weeks…one party…hallelujah…and I hear their mother say Amen!)

Eric’s mom and I are planning a Christmas party with around 30 friends and also a Christmas dinner with the employees at the shop. We’ll do games and door prizes and gift exchanges. I love it. The hustle and bustle.

I also finally found a coat for this winter. Arriving in freezing Nebraska in just a sweater was not fun or advisable. My dear father-in-law bought me a coat yesterday as we were walking around the Mall. He wasn’t actually with us. He was at home putting up decorations with Eric and the kids on the outside of the house. He still bought it for me. He’s a good man. My heart overflows for my in-laws….and not because of their purchasing power…although this is a SWEET coat.

And now the battery on the laptop is about to power down. More with pictures later.