Letters To My Daughters

The Everyday Question of Motherhood

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:01:00 +0000

I am so thankful for the Lords day this morning as I sit with my warm coffee, my lap top open and look forward to hearing God's word preached this morning. What a wonderful God we serve that he continues to refine us through his teaching! I recently read such a refining article on motherhood, and I was so touched by it, I simply had to share! May it challenge, encourage and sharpen you on this Lord's Day.

The Everyday Question of Motherhood
by:Christine Hoover
Grace at Home: Desiring God Ministries

As a mother, there is a constant, uncomfortable battle that rages inside of me. It is not the big or dramatic: Will I raise my children to love God? Will I train them to obey Him? Do my children belong to Him?

The constant battle of motherhood is more subtle, more everyday, more hideable. At the center is one question: Will I sacrifice? Or as Oswald Chambers poses in My Utmost for His Highest: "[Am I] willing to spend and be spent; not seeking to be ministered unto, but to minister?"

The Everyday Question isn't answered one time, with the birth of a child, with the planning of school, or with the decision to discipline. This question — Will I sacrifice? — is answered everyday.

It’s answered when a child wakes early with a need, interrupting my quiet hour alone with the Lord.

It’s answered when a sick child keeps me from worship and adult interaction at church on Sunday mornings.

It’s answered when I am emotionally spent, but a child’s behavior requires my patient, purposeful response.

It’s answered almost every moment of the potty training process.

It’s answered as I systematically teach my special-needs son how to interact with others.

In motherhood, the Everyday Question is answered every time a child’s concern or need must come before my own, which is most of the time.

Too often, I attend to necessary tasks — leaving the stove to help with pant buttons, putting down the phone to search for a beloved toy, excusing myself from a conversation at church to take tired children home for a nap — while my heart grumbles. If I just had one moment to complete a task or have an adult conversation without an interruption.

The Everyday Question, however, asks not just about what I do but also about my attitude: Will I joyfully pour out my life as a fragrant offering before the Lord for the benefit of my children? Will I serve my children out of obligation and duty or will I serve like I'm serving God Himself? Will I die to myself so that I might live to God in the specific calling He has given me as a mom?

The Everyday Question must be answered everyday.

Because motherhood is not so much the big, dramatic acts of sacrifice, but the little, everyday, unseen ones.

Because we can have a clean house and obedient children and not sacrifice.

Because we are so easily deceived to think we can live for ourselves and be faithful to God in our ministry as moms.

Jesus said that those who live for themselves will actually have an unfulfilling life, but those who lose for their lives for His sake will really experience life. As parents, our self-death for Christ’s sake not only produces fruit in our own hearts, but produces fruit in the hearts of our children, fruit that grows by the power of God. Let us, then, choose to joyfully give of ourselves for our children.

Everyday.

“For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:11)

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died, and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” (2 Corinthians 5:14–15)

Taking the Good with the Bad

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:50:00 +0000

I am really excited because today is my guest post from Heather Von St. James from The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog. You can click here to visit her. I am so happy to share her post today, so here it is....

Taking the Good with the Bad

By: Heather Von St. James
If there is one trait about me that sticks out, it is my optimism. I am often told I wear rose-colored glasses. I do not take this in a negative way. When I was diagnosed with cancer at 36, my daughter Lily was just 3 ½ months old. There I was, during the absolute best time in my life, and I was facing a nightmare; my optimism needed to prevail for me to get through this.

I was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma on November 21, 2005. Leading up to the diagnosis were a lot of doctors appointments and a lot of confusion. Ultimately, we realized I had been exposed to asbestos as a child. My father was a construction worker and would come home with “white dust” on his clothes- we never thought anything of it. Turns out, the white dust was asbestos and that’s how I was exposed at such a young age. I did not see that coming. It was the happiest time of my life and I was being told that I had a deadly disease. I, and everyone else who has ever faced this situation, was faced with a decision. I could wallow in self-pity and anger, shake my fist at god and give in to my diagnosis. I could also face reality while wearing my rose-colored glasses. I chose the latter. It was not just about me. I had a daughter who deserved to know her mommy. I was determined to ensure that she got that chance.

Cancer certainly has strictly negative connotations, but there are two sides to every story. Yes, a cancer diagnosis is scary and horrible. However, it also gives a person an opportunity to test their strength, to realize what is important and to take control of the rest of her life. In my case, it also gave me an opportunity to support others in the same situation and I took that opportunity happily.

I am not entirely sure why, but I chose to take the good with the bad. I went to a renowned mesothelioma doctor who gave me hope that I would live. In a bout of good humor, my tumor became known as Punxsutawney Phil because the surgery to remove my tumor occurred on the Groundhog's Day following my diagnosis. Then, we decided Groundhog's Day was now Lungleavin' Day. The idea is to celebrate life in the way people celebrate the coming of spring. It is a way to acknowledge the people I met while fighting this horrible disease.

I met some great people who were suffering through the same problems I had. They are among the most resilient and brave people I have ever met. These people not only fight cancer, but they bring awareness to our mesothelioma. If it were not for my cancer diagnosis, I would never have even known these people exist. Now, I have meaning to life. I have friends that are fighters. I have a daughter who I get to cherish every day. I will continue to help lend support and continue to wear my rose-colored glasses.

Meet Heather

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:45:00 +0000

I love how blogging brings people together. Reading what others have to say can give you encouragement, ideas, new inspiration and it can connect you with people you would have never have had the pleasure of knowing otherwise. That is what happened to me this past week when through one of my blog posts I was introduced to a lovely lady named Heather Von St. James. Heather is one of my readers and reached out to me last week about the possibility of doing a guest post on Letters to my Daughters. Over that past several days I have gotten to know a little about Heather, and she has an amazing story! Heather, like me and most of my readers, is a mom. She has a beautiful daughter named Lily. Now, I am still getting to know Heather, but one thing I have certainly been able to tell is that like all of us moms, she is well acquainted with the vast depths of a mother's love. When Heather's sweet daughter was just 3 1/2 months old, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. One that most likely, would take her life before her sweet daughter was grown. Please join us this Friday as Heather does a guest post about her story of survival and how she has learned to take the good with the bad.

The Blessing of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:45:00 +0000

It has been a hard few weeks for us. We have a friend who's beautiful two year old daughter passed away yesterday. While I would consider this family a friend, we have never actually met. They live in our neighborhood and we have been able to follow their families story through the wonderful marvels of modern technology. They have a blog were they have posted their entire story called Kaitlyn's Korner

Their daughter's name is Kaitlyn. She is beautiful, and precious, and now she is in heaven. I have to admit that I haven't been able to keep up with this family as much I would have liked. I simply haven't been strong enough. Each time I have read about their precious girl I have mourned for days afterwards. Watching what this family has gone through has challenged my beliefs in every way. I find myself thinking, "Is God really a compassionate God?" "Why would he let this happen" "Is he going to take one of my three daughters away from me" "How could there be any purpose in this"

I have been struggling for weeks to wrap my mind around this. And to not be given over to fear for my own children. The thought came to me the other day, almost every where in the old testament, when the Lord spoke audibly of a blessing he would give to his people, that blessing was children. I think that says so much about the blessing children are! Think about it! God could have given them ANYTHING, and the thing that he saw as the greatest blessing to give to those he loved and was well pleased with, was children. Abraham, Jacob, Hannah, those are just a few, and to Sarah and Abraham he even gave a child in there old age when it was thought impossible. I think knowing that, each time we bring a child into this world, we should feel Gods personal blessing! It is not just an act of science, some random cosmic matching of cells that has given way to life. It is a mighty creator who has formed, and knit together life in the mothers womb. He knew the days of our children before they were even created. One of may favorite verses about the blessing of children is....

Psalm 127:3-4

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of ones youth. Blessed is the man who's quiver is filled with them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Did you catch that first part? Children are a REWARD! I cant pretend to know why God has let such a thing happen to Kaitlyn. I will never understand it. And even as I type I can not hold back the tears. My heart breaks for her mother, because I too know the vast depths of a mothers love. And I wont pretend that I'm not still fearful for my own children, because I am. But the Lord has shown me one very important truth. I think I have been asking the wrong question all this time. The real blessing is not how much time we get with our children. The real blessing, is that we even even get them to begin with.

So, I write this in memory of Kaitlyn. Who in just the last few weeks of her life has challenged me, encouraged me, and taught me more about God's grace and goodness than she will ever know. Because the real blessing, is that God in his goodness allowed all of us the incredible honor of being touched by this precious life.

Psalm 111:2 How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.

St. Patrick's Day Craft: Shamrock Trinity

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:55:00 +0000

Well we are getting ready to celebrate Autumn's 3rd birthday around here, which happens to be on St. patty's Day! So I thought I would share with you the trinity themed St. Patrick's Day craft that the girls and I did today.

First, did you know that St. Patrick's day....
"Is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick, the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland."
-wikipidia

St. Patrick wasnt actually Irish, he was British, but he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken back to Ireland as a slave when he was just 16. He ended up leaving Ireland and returing home, but later felt that God was calling him back to Ireland to preach the Christian faith to the Irish people. It is said that he used the Shamrock to explain to the people the concept of the trinity, with each leaf representing one of the God heads. St. Patrick's day is celebrated on March 17th because that is the day St. Patrick died.

I gave the kids a little history lesson on St. Patrick today, and then we made our Shamrock Trinity s....

For this craft you will need...
scissors
glue
tape
green pipe cleaners
green construction paper
craft printouts
hole punch

1. I used Microsoft word clip art to create my printables. You will need one sheet that has a picture for each member of the Trinity :Father, Son and Holy Spirit
2. Then I also used word to type up my poem that goes along with the craft. It is:

Just like the leaves

On each shamrock I see

There are three parts

To the Holy Trinity

First is God the Father

Then Jesus his only son

And the Holy Spirit

Together as one

3. Then I pre-cut the rest of my material and put them in plastic baggies so they were ready for my kids to put together. But if you have older children you could let them do the cutting themselves. You will need to cut from green construction paper: three large green hearts, and one medium sized green rectangle.

4. Next, glue the three green hearts together to make the shape of a clover.

5. Take the printable pictures you made for the Trinity and glue "Father" at the top, and "Son" and "Holy Spirit" on the two side leaves.

6. use tape to secure one of the green pipe cleaners to the back of your clover as the stem.

7. Glue your Trinity poem onto your green rectangle of construction paper.

8. Then use a hole punch to punch a hole in the top of your clover and in your poem.

9. Lastly, use your remaining pipe cleaner to attach your poem to the shamrock and create a loop so you can hang your Shamrock Trinity.

Rubber Ducky you're the one....

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 22:41:00 +0000

If you read my last post then you probably already know why its been a couple weeks since I've posted. Life with three little ones is CRAZY! But it's about to get even crazier around here because we are getting ready for my oldest daughter Autumn"s 3rd birthday!

Now I have to say..I am a pretty good cook. BUT...I am a TERRIBLE baker! I don't know why I can cook a killer apple glazed pork chop but i cant seem to bake a boxed cake without messing it up. Its a mystery. But I have decided that i will not let that box of cake batter defeat me and I am going to make my very first birthday cake for my girl.

I decided to do a rubber duck cake and I did a practice run last week. i wanted to cover the entire cake in fondant, but I was a little intimated since I have never worked with fondant. So, i decided to ice the cake instead, use real rubber ducks on top, and use the fondant to make soap bubble decorations.

I had NO cake decorating materials, so i bought...
-a cake leveler
-an icing spatula
- two round cake pans
-pre made fondant
- a cake storage container
-icing dye
-cake mix
- and butter cream icing

The baking and the leveling and stacking of the cake went pretty good. But my icing gave me some trouble :( I hard a time getting it to cover the cake completely. but i did learn a good tip that I'm going to try next time...
-Ice the cake with a thin layer of icing first ( a crumb coat) then refrigerate it to let it set and then ice with an additional coat.

I used icing dye to dye both my icing and my fondant blue. This stuff is GREAT! I didn't even know they made it, Ive always used food coloring in the past. But you can get a huge variety of color and without that funky taste food coloring gives.

This is what my cake looked like when I finished.....

I covered it in a plastic cake container, which next time Ive decided I wont do. The cake got a little humid and after about 30 minutes my fondant started to sweat. Fondant apparently HATES humidity! I used a marshmallow fondant that i bought pre made, but next time I'm going to make my own. Here is the recipe I am planning to use...
Fondant recipe
I'm hoping to get better and better at this with the more cakes I make. Olivia's birthday is coming up in June and I really want to make her an Olivia the pig cake covered in fondant.....

I'm hoping to get as good as my sweet friend Amber...check out this cool cake she made last week for a friends birthday.....

Add caption

Happy Baking Everyone!

15 Ways Life Changes With Three...

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Well most of you probably thought I either quit blogging or just vanished all together. But, I'm still here, and yes I'm still blogging. Occasionally. But there have been some major changes around here! On January 7th at 12:57 pm we welcomed our new baby girl....

Grace Rylee Fischer

She has been a blessing and brings such joy to our home. But being mother to three toddlers is definitively a challenge. So, I thought I'd share some of my comical, and yet very true musings....

15 ways life changes with three....

1. My first meal of the day usually happens around 1pm. I'm way to busy to remember how hungry I am before then.
2. I start getting myself ready in the morning at 7am.......and I finish around 3pm.
3. You can pretty much guarantee at all times that I have some type of bodily fluid somewhere on my person, either snot, spit up or poop. Seriously, Last week I thought I had a piece of fuzz in my hair. It was a booger.
4. Alone time you say? Baahhaaaaaahaaa. You're funny.
5. My house smells like poop. Always.
6. When I have to leave the house I start loading the car 45 minutes before I actually have to leave. And I'm still late.
7.Monday-Friday is "pajama day"
8. I have to smell my kids hair to remember if I gave them a bath or not.
9. My husband and I are NEVER alone. Seriously. NEVER. Not even at night.
10. I've been researching birth control options since we got home from the hospital :)
11. My coffee intake has substantially increased. I think I might really have a problem.
12. My clean laundry permanently resides on the laundry room floor. Hey, at least you have clean clothes!
13. My husband is now surprised when he comes home and I've showered, blown my hair dry and put on makeup. he usually says "oh, where did you go today" lol
14. My kids eat way too much chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. I think I may need to watch "Supersize Me" again.

And Lastly....
15. I am more fulfilled and more content than I ever thought possible. Being a mom.......it pretty much rocks.

Newborn Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:31:00 +0000

Well, as of today I am 2 weeks and 5 days away from being Induced with our third baby girl. I can NOT wait! So with the little time we have left until her arrival I have been busy making sure everything is prepared for her. And one of those things I have been making sure is in order, is everything we need for her newborn pictures to be taken.

I think having good pictures is such an important part of watching my kids grow, I want to ALWAYS remember these precious moments! We have been fortunate enough over the past few years to come to know a WONDERFUL couple in our church (who also happen to live across the street from us) as dear friends of ours. The husband of this couple has a true God given talent for photography and he has graciously used his talent to bless us by capturing some BEAUTIFUL images of our children on film! Here are a few photos he has taken for us.....

Aren't they Beautiful!? Our friend will be coming to our home when Grace arrives to take some newborn pictures of her. I am so excited! I have been researching all sorts of ideas from cute poses to sweet little outfit and headbands for her. I want to try and get a picture of all three of my girls together so i went to www.pinterest.com for some photo ideas. Check out these adorable pictures I found for inspiration....

AHHHH! How cute are those!? I am REALLY hoping we can capture some cute shots like these with all three of the girls. I also had to come up with an idea for Gracie's solo picture. While i was looking for inspiration, I saw everything form babies in old fashioned wash tubs to babies hanging from trees (which looks a bit dangerous i might add). But i finally settled on this idea......

I ordered this outfit for her yesterday, and I can not WAIT to see how sweet she looks in it! You can find this photo prop outfit and others like it at etsy.com or go directly to the ETSY shop that makes them by clicking HERE

I cant wait to see how Grace's newborn pictures turn out, but more importantly...I cant wait to see GRACE!

Babies and Showers

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:05:00 +0000

It's been a while now since I've written...which is mostly because I am so huge and pregnant and about to pop that I haven't done much of anything lately :)

I am 34 weeks now and SO excited that D-day is almost here! We have been busy with the holidays around here so the waiting hasn't been to miserable for me. We are getting ready for baby Grace's baby shower in less than two weeks so I've been spending time this week doing our registry which has been lots of fun. We registered at Target, which I LOVE because after your baby is born you can go into any of the target stores and get 10% off every item still left on your registry. I love that!

Baby Grace weighs in at 5lbs now and I will be considered full term in just three weeks. Although she'll continue to put on weight, most of her development is finished now and babies born at 34 weeks usually have no health problems and do just as well as full term babies. I'm hoping I will get to meet our Gracie three weeks from now when I'm full term, and that she wont make me wait until after Christmas! But we shall see!

Since the talk around here has been mostly about babies and baby showers...I thought I'd share with you some adorable shower ideas I came across on Pinterest.com There are some GREAT ideas here if your hosting a baby shower, or just need a great gift idea for one. Enjoy!

Click Here

click here

A Letter to Olivia

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:43:00 +0000

If you have been reading my blog for a while now, then you know, it originally started as sort of a diary to my two young daughters. When my first daughter was born, I decided I wanted to begin writing letters to her, sharing with her my motherly "wisdom" (if I had any) and just sort of documenting her childhood. Well, this blog has become so much more than that, but I still write these letters to both of my children, and I have gotten somewhat behind on posting them. So, I thought now would be a good time to get started back at it again. After all, my blog is called "Letters to my Daughters" and writing these letters is how it all came to be.

So, to my sweet Olivia...this is one of the first letters I wrote to you...but I mean it as much today as I did then! All my Love,

Mom

December 2, 2010

My Darling Olivia,

You are now approaching 6 months old and I am amazed at how quickly time has passed. You are such a beautiful girl with such a gentle and quiet spirit. Did you know that your name means peace? It’s actually Latin, meaning, “peace” or “olive tree” I think that makes it a very fitting name for you; I can already tell that you will be a peace maker. You are always smiling and when there is chaos or quarreling in our home, one look at you and we can’t help but smile and let our hearts fill with happiness. You smile CONSTANTLY, I mean that! All THE TIME! It brings such great joy to our home and is a continuous reminder of how thankful I am for you.

I am sure that by now you have been told the story of your arrival and that you are aware that you were quite the surprise. Well, I want to tell you something my love, and I don’t you EVER forget it, are you listening? Here it is…. I LOVE surprises! I do! And YOU my love are the GREATEST surprise I have EVER received. The fact that you weren’t planned only makes you that much more special. Really, it does! It means that you were so amazing, and so wonderful that it wasn’t even possible for me to dream you up, but only God himself knew how much I needed you; so without me even asking he decided to give you to me. Yup, you are that important! Did you know that God knew you even before you were born? It wasn’t by chance my love that I ended up with you as my daughter or that you ended you with me as your mother. From the beginning of time, it was always meant to be. Psalm 139 says, “For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;”

And when the Lord speaks to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1 he says. ““Before I formed you in the womb I knew^[^a^]you,
before you were born I set you apart;”

My Love, you have no idea how special you are. You were skillfully crafted in all of your wonderfulness to be perfectly made just as you are and to be given to me. I am so very blessed. I hope knowing that God so carefully made you makes you feel special; it sure makes me feel special that I get to be your mom!

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:55:00 +0000

Today I wanted to share a recipe with you that I am REALLY excited about! It combines two of my favorite things....chocolate and birthday cake!

Both my brother and my sister have November birthdays (the 21st and the 25th) and since they are so close to Christmas, I usually do something simple, like home- made goodies. So this is what I have decided to gift them this year....

Cake Batter Truffles

YUM! Don't these look delicious! If you have experienced the deliciousness of "cake pop's" before, than you understand my excitement! I cant wait to make these! I want to put them in little candy bags and tie them up with some pretty ribbon like this....

What a great little birthday gift idea! Now for the recipe.....

Ingredients:

1 can of sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoon butter
¾ cup cake mix, dry
2/3 cups chocolate, melted (for dipping)

Instructions:

1. Place sweetened condensed milk and butter in a pan over low heat. Heat mixture for about 10-15 minutes, making sure to stir constantly. Continue to heat until mixture can hold a line when a spoon or spatula is drawn through the mixture. Remove from heat and add dry cake mix and stir to combine. Set mixture aside for 5-10 minutes before rolling.

2. Lightly butter hands and roll mixture in 3/4 inch balls. Chill for 20 minutes and dip in melted chocolate. Then set dipped truffles aside for chocolate to set.

Would love hear if you decide to try out this recipe! Happy baking!

A Husband's Grace and a Wife's failure

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:21:00 +0000

I have been debating for the past week or so whether or not I wanted to share this on my blog, but I have decided I am too full of joy to contain myself any longer!

Let me start with a little back story about my husband and I. We married just four years ago while he was pursuing a graduate degree. I was just 21 at the time and my husband 25. We were so overjoyed to start our lives together, and like most young married couples, we were completely broke! My husband was able to buy me a gorgeous engagement ring that he proposed to me with, but when it came time to buy my wedding band, we decided to save our money and get something really simple and inexpensive that we planned on replacing later. I think we ended up spending something like $70 on it! We got a great deal :)

Over the past few years we have talked about replacing it several times, but two kids later...that just hasn't been possible. I'm sure all you mom's out there know how that is! Since I'm pregnant now and my fingers are starting to swell, I haven't been able to wear my wedding band recently, which got us talking again about when we might possibly be able to replace it. But my husband felt that it would be better for us financially if we waited until sometime next year. Maybe for our 5 year anniversary. I have to admit, although I tried to hide it, I found myself starting to feel bitter about having to wait another year. I felt that I "deserved" to have a decent wedding band, like every other married woman. Over the next few days my bitterness started to grow, and I was ready to tell my husband that I didn't want to wait until next year! Then....one evening after a particularly hard day with the kids and pregnancy discomfort, I went upstairs and threw myself in bed without even saying goodnight to anyone. When my husband came in a few moments later, I thought for sure I was about to get a "lecture" about my bad attitude. Instead, he didn't say a single word, but handed me a card. I opened it to find a very sweet and loving note inside and a final line that read "tonight when you go to bed, you will find a special gift beneath your head" I lifted up my pillow and there sat a little blue box. And in that little blue box, I found this....

Talk about being humbled! I immediately put my head in my hands and began to cry. Not because of the beauty of this wonderful gift (although I was ecstatic about it) but because I realized how undeserving I am of my husbands love for me. I was immediately humbled and brought to my knees, that when I was the least deserving, my husband would still chose to show love for me in this way. Not only did I rush to ask my husband for his forgiveness, but I rushed to ask the Lord for forgiveness as well. I simply don't deserve the loving husband he has given me. I was reminded in this instance of what a true demonstration my husband had exhibited of Gods calling to him in loving his wife....Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

My husband was willing to give himself up for me. I know that making this purchase was a sacrifice. It means getting up early and putting in extra time at work. It means less money for things like eating out and picking up take out. It means sacrificing things he would like to have like a decent computer bag for work or new clothes. And he chose to make that sacrifice, at a time when I couldn't have been less deserving. He loved me in spite of my sin. My observation of my husbands godliness was immediately followed by the reality of my sinfulness. Just as God has given my husband commands for loving me, he has given me commands for loving and caring for my husband. I this same passage Paul exhorts the wives saying, "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything"

I realized how greatly I had failed at submitting to my husband. When he told me that now was not a good time to make the big purchase of a wedding band, I have should have accepted his answer with joy in my heart, knowing that God has put him over me for my own protection. if I had done that i would have been able to accept the sweet surprise of a new wedding band, without the guilt and remorse over my own sinful behavior! This incident was such a sweet and much needed reminder of Gods grace in my life. I am reminded of all my sinful flaws and how the Lord chooses to love and to bless me despite them. And by Gods grace, he has given me a renewed love for my husband and a desire to submit to his leadership over me in every area. For I know that it is by Gods sovereignty that he has been placed over me to lead me, shepherd me, and to love me, just as Christ loved the church.

I started this post by saying that I was full of JOY, and it is true! Not because of the sweet gift of a new wedding band by my husband, but because of the sweet gift of a godly and loving husband, by my Savior!

I hope this post has reminded you, as it has me, of what a true blessing a man that loves the Lord is. And how, as women who love the Lord, we can honor both our husbands and our Savior, by being willing to submit ourselves to the leadership of our husbands, who have been appointed by God as shepherds over us, in every circumstance! So often I fall short of this calling to submission, but praise the LORD, for his gift of forgiveness. How I love the God of second chances!

A Steal of a Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:34:00 +0000

Hey Everyone! I hope you all have had a fabulous week and are ready to enjoy the weekend, I know I am! I had to share with you today this GREAT online deal I found through one of my new favorite ETSY stores called Gigi's Petals.

It is a ruffled camera strap slip cover, and Gigi's petals is offering it today at 40% off, for just $13.00!
It is offered in three different colors and I think it's adorable!

You can find Gigi's Petals on ETSY, but you can also visit her "Deals Page" and sign up to receive email about all her fantastic deals like these. She has a different deal everyday and they are always GREAT products at GREAT markdowns!

Here is her deal from yesterday....

A Set of vinyl chalkboard labels for 26% off ($6.70). This deal is still going on for another two days, so your not too late! I LOVE this one!

I found Gigi's Petals through my cousins blog, Beneath My Heart. Don't you just LOVE the blog world and how it connects people!

Make sure to visit Gigi's page so you don't miss out on all the awesome deals. just click on the picture below...

click here!

Triple Chocolate Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:15:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I haven't posted in a while because I have been somewhat consumed with this VERY uncomfortable pregnancy lately. My sweet husband has truly shown me sacrificial love as he has cared for the house, the kids and ME! So to thank him for all of his hard work, I wanted to make him a special treat. I decided to go with a Triple Chocolate Cake, a wonderful cake recipe I got from a very dear friend of mine. So, I thought I would share it with you too.....enjoy!

Triple Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 pkg. dark chocolate cake mix
1 sm. pkg instant choc. pudding mix
1/2 oil
1/2 water
1 c. sour cream
12 oz. chocolate chips
3 eggs

Combine Ingredients and mix

Pour mixture into a greased bundt pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes

Turn cake onto a platter and allow to cool

Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar and fill with raspberries and blueberries

Line edges of cake with halved strawberries.

A Baby Update

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:06:00 +0000

So I am FINALLY in my third trimester now! Something I am ridiculously excited about. And today we had our 28 week ultrasound and appointment. Earlier in my pregnancy I was diagnosed with placenta previa, which if it doesn't resolve on its own before 28 weeks means a scheduled c-section once the mother reaches full term. So today's ultrasound was to see if my placenta previa had resolved, or if i would need to plan on a c-section. And guess what!? No more placenta previa and no c-section. YAY! Although I was slightly disappointed about not having the c-section, it would have been nice to get to meet baby grace in December (when they would have scheduled it, had i needed one) instead of having to wait until January. BUT, I am glad my baby is healthy and that's all that matters!

The doctor said Grace is doing great, they didn't see any problems. Although they did say that she is one BIG baby! Most babies at this stage weigh in at just over 2 lbs, and Grace is almost at 3lbs! I measured at 30 weeks and 2 days gestation based on her size, and I'm actually only 28 weeks. I asked the doctor how big he thought she would be by the time she is born and he said he guessed that she would almost definitely be a 9lb baby! AHHHHH!Well....here's hoping she comes early I guess!

We finally got some good pics this time, so here they are.....

Since I'm in my third trimester now I will be going to the doctor every 2 weeks. Although my due date is not until January 12, full term is considered to be 37 weeks, meaning the baby could come at any time between week 37 and my due date at 40 weeks. I will be full term in 9 weeks now, on December 22, so I am REALLY hoping we might get to have a Christmas baby! What a GREAT gift!

180

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:19:00 +0000

I simply have to share this short documentary film with you that has gone viral this week. It is INCREDIBLE and is only 30 minutes long so PLEASE take the time to view it, and pass it on! i promise you will be glad you did.

click here to view

The First Day of School

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:37:00 +0000

For most people the first day of school was several weeks ago. But at our house we are starting preschool at home this year, and we got a bit of a late start. But, today was our first school day! Here is a picture of Autumn getting ready to start....

She really enjoyed it and so did I! Today we covered.....The Letter A

We started off by doing some letter A worksheets I printed from the kids Learning Station website

kidslearningstation

I LOVE this site, they have so many great FREE printables!

The next thing we did was an art project with the letter A. I used masking tape to create the letter A on piece of card stock. Then I let Autumn use water colors to paint the page. When she was done I carefully removed the tape from the page, and it looked like this.....

It was a great letter project for preschoolers. Autumn is only 2 1/2 so she's not quite old enough to actually write out the letter, or even color in the lines really! But with this project I could let her do it all by herself and she still created the perfect letter A!

This is our school bored with all of our finished projects from today's class...

Hopefully we will have some more projects and ideas to share with you soon. But in the mean time, check out the Kids Learning Station for some great activity ideas!

Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips...YUM!

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:56:00 +0000

I usually see recipes like this only to stare longingly at them, never working up the motivation to actually try them. And , if I do, then I feel incredibly guilty! But being that Im 24 weeks pregnant and all, it has been my excuse to try my hand at every incredibly awful for you, but wonderfully indulgent dessert recipe I can find! And this one my friends, did not disappoint!I give you....Chocolate Covered Potato Chips with Sea Salt. YUM!

I found this recipe on pinterest...you can click the picture to take you to the original link. But, I was making this with my kids and needed something SUPER simple so I sort of made my own version...

Credit

Ingredients:
1 bag ruffle potato chips
1 container of meltable chocolate shell (the kind that you just stick in the microwave, usually used for dipping strawberries)
Sea Salt
Wax Paper

Directions:
Melt chocolate in microwave
Dip chips 1/4 to 1/2 way in chocolate (less is more)
Sprinkle chocolate with sea salt
Let set on wax paper for 20-30 minutes
Enjoy!

Scoop Adventures: My New Love

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:30:00 +0000

I have stumbled across a new blog that I am completely in LOVE with! The name of it is Scoop Adventures. The blog's creator is a young lady named Lindsay, she is sort of an ice cream connoisseur, and Scoop Adventures chronicles her journey to finding the perfect scoop.

Scoop Adventures is PACKED with tons of delicious and inspiring recipes created by Lindsay. There are so many that I cant wait to try. I thought I'd share the one I am looking forward to trying the most. Then, visit her site and find which recipe inspires you!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream

http://www.scoopadventures.com/

Pumpkin Ice Cream

1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)

2/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar (you could also use brown sugar)

Pinch of salt

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Put all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl or small plastic bag and chill mixture thoroughly. After chilled, freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Cheesecake Ice Cream
Adpated from recipe by David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop

6 oz. cream cheese

2/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup half and half

1/3 cup sugar

Zest of a small lemon

Zest lemon directly into the blender and then add remaining ingredients. Puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl or small plastic bag and chill mixture thoroughly. After chilled, freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

To combine:
Make sure both ice creams are frozen but soft (similar to the consistency of just churned). Starting with the pumpkin ice cream, alternate layers of ice creams into a separate container. In between layers, make sure to rap the container on the counter to release any air. When complete, cover the container and freeze until solid.

Enjoy!

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:27:00 +0000

I never in a million years thought I would say this, but I have SO been enjoying being pregnant lately. I think it's because of all the complications we've had during this pregnancy and how scared we were that we were going to loose this baby, I have new gratitude for the Lord in being able to carry this sweet child. Our baby Grace is moving all over the place now, I can see (and feel!) little elbows and knees slide across my belly (and into my ribs!) and I cherish each precious movement.

I have always seen my role as mom as my greatest ministry opportunity, but now that we are having our third girl, it has new meaning (and pressure) We are officially going to be a house of all girls, and the thought of raising them is a little bit daunting. I have such a huge responsibility to these girls because I'm not just raising girls, I'm raising wives and mothers. It will primarily be me, not my husband, who teaches them and equips them with the principles they need to become someones wife, and someday, someones mother. WoW! That's a lot of pressure! And sometimes I feel completely unequipped. But I am SO thankful that the Lord is faithful! (2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.) He is faithful to sanctify me each day, (Proverbs 3:12 For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.) to give me the wisdom I lack, (Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!) and to complete this work which he began in me until the very end.(Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.)

And my faith is in him, that he will equip me to raise these sweet girls. My prayer for them is that as I do my part to train them in the way they should go, to teach them the truths of our mighty God, that HIS word will be written upon their hearts. And that they will grow up to be not just wives and mothers, by godly wives and mothers. Always seeking after the things of the Lord. So I will joufully take on this task the Lord has given me, with confindence in my heart, knowing that I serve a gracious God who's word is TRUE. And it is with that promise, that I eagerly await the arrival of baby Grace. Oh how I can not wait to raise this house full of girls! What a blessing it is, to be the mother of girls!

Christmas is on it's Way!

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:05:00 +0000

I have been in such the holiday spirit the past few days, I'm already starting to think about Christmas :) One of my favorite things to do around the holiday is dress my kids in festive (and funny) little outfits! Here are some pictures of the girls last year on Christmas....

I cant wait to find something equally adorable for them to wear this year! I just LOVE this time of year!

Check out these festive and unique holiday hats from etsy.com

Etsy

These are some adorable products, right!? Click on the link below each picture to visit the etsy.com shop. You can browse for loads of other adorable Christmas children's apparel as well. Happy Shopping!

A Fischer Family Update

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:37:00 +0000

Well, things have been CRAZY around here, to say the least! The girls are growing like weeds and constantly keeping me on my toes! And we are busy preparing for the arrival of baby Grace! There is a lot going on around here...let me fill you in!

Autumn started ballet about 5 weeks ago. She loves it and does a GREAT job! She is the best little ballerina out there :) She is talking up a storm now and is constantly asking me, "why mommy, why?" She is in such a fun stage, Ryan and I are really enjoying her and the new ways we are beginning to interact with her.

Olivia has started walking...well, sort of. She CAN walk at least. We have seen her do it a handful of times, but she is a stubborn little thing and refuses to do it when we want her too. She has so mastered the art of crawling that she sticks to that most of the time, it allows her to get to her destination about three times as fast :) She has just started to talk some, she says "mommy, daddy, more, snack, sissy, remy (our dog) and yellow"

The girls have become the very best of friends, which I REALLY enjoy seeing. they LOVE playing together, although we have entered that stage where the phrase I hear most often during the day is, "Mommy, sissy wont share!" But i am loving seeing how they care for one another and the special bond they have formed. I am so thankful to be adding another sweet girl into our home that will be part of that special relationship!

Ryan has been continuing to work and is really loving his job and the freedom it gives him. He is a business consultant for a company called North Highland and he gets to move from project to project doing consultant work, which he loves because it keeps him from getting bored! He is on assignment for the next 10 months at the energy company here in Charlotte called Duke Energy. It allows him lots of flexibility and he was even able to take off tomorrow and Friday to take the girls and I to the water park! He is such a wonderful daddy and husband!

I.....well, Ive been busy just holding it all together! My days are filled with packing lunches, ironing clothes, giving baths, dressing babes, playing, cleaning, giving baths again....and trying to find time to rest my huge pregnant self! I have been having some trouble lately with my pregnancy induced asthma, which has made things a little tough, but other than that, baby Grace and I are doing well.

And that's about it! We are just busy living life with our two, very sweet, very very rambunctious girls, and eagerly awaiting the arrival of our third one!

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:27:00 +0000

I simply LOVE finding new and creative ideas to try out from all the wonderful blogs out there. This morning I came across this great idea of re-purposing and old oatmeal container into a headband holder. Brilliant!

Credit: The Gaines Gang

Here is the tutorial for this wonderful little idea:

You will need: 1 oatmeal container, fabric, hot glue and ribbon.

Step 1. "start by laying some scrap fabric (out) and “rough” cut a piece for the main body and the lid."

This oatmeal container is painted green because it had already been re-purposed once.

Step 2: glue the fabric to the main container tucking and gluing it in on the top and bottom. Then place the lid back on the container.

Step 3: Glue your desired ribbon around the rim and/or top of the lid

Now you have an easy and beautiful headband holder! I will definitely being trying out this idea this weekend! Thank you The Gaines Gang for the inspiration!

Raspberry Butter

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000

I have been on quite the baking spree lately! My husband told me this weekend that he hates my new found love http://www.pinterest.com/, because it is causing him way to many trips to the grocery store from all the recipes I find there!

This weekend I tried my hand at this recipe I found for Raspberry Butter....YUM!

It was delicious but I will say it was a bit tart. So if you're not a fan of the tart citrus flavors of raspberry and oranges, this may not be for you. If you are like me on the otherhand, and you love the crisp freshness of these flavors, you will adore this recipe. It's the perfect way to spice up your boring morning toast!

Credit: Everyday Lovely

You will need some unsalted butter at room temperature (I used about 2 sticks); Lovely ripe raspberries (One Half Pint ought to do it); A squeeze of orange or lemon juice; Also, a sprinkle of kosher salt.

Whip up the butter and toss in the beautiful berries.

Mash them up nicely with your pastry blender or whatever you have in your drawer that will mash nicely. Then add a little orange juice and a pinch of salt.

Toast up some yummy left-over bread and spread on generously - today is a special day!

Pinterest and my Favorite Things

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey Fischer) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:37:00 +0000

So I have to tell you about my new obsession (in case you haven't already found it for yourself) it is pinterest. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I wasn't sure I would be able to adequately explain what it is, so I'll let pinterest tell you....

What is pinterest?
"Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard.

Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. To get started, request an invite."

In a nut shell, it's all the very best things on the Internet, in one place!

You HAVE to check it out. I PROMISE you will LOVE it! I am constantly getting inspired by the things I find there, from recipes, crafts, decorating ideas, fashion, and more, you can find ANYTHING here!

Just to show you what I mean...I thought Id share with you some of the things I have pinned to my pin board....

click here

I NEVER would have found all of these beautiful and creative ideas and products if it wasn't for pinterest! And the best thing is, I have them all "pinned" to my pinbterest board, keeping them all in one place means I can easily find them and go back to them at any time. Check it out for yourself!