Sending You a Little Christmas!

I am sitting here looking at my calendar and wondering how on earth we are going to get everything done in the next 3 weeks! Like everyone else, the holidays bring a time of hustle and bustle that makes life absolutely crazy for the month of December. Not that I am complaining. There is something exciting about all the buzz of Christmas time: Christmas programs, lot’s of parties/dinners to attend a couple to host, and having 2 full weeks with various family around! Not to mention the excitement that the kids have this year. Emma and Jamin are expiring their first “ I really understand” Christmas! They have given us a Christmas list complete with anything Spiderman and a sliding board...yes that’s right, Emma asked specifically for a sliding board. Too bad she already has a slide in the back yard! Instead she is getting an Easy Bake Oven. I think I am more excited just to see her reaction. She LOVES to be Mommy’s helper in the kitchen, so I have no doubt that it will be a huge hit! Jenna is old enough to open gifts now,all that to say, Christmas morning will be a blast in the Harper home.



Most importantly we are excited to celebrate a special birthday! We have taken this opportunity to share with the kids the real REASON FOR THE SEASON. The kids have been practicing singing for Jesus’ birthday party as well as picked out the flavor for the Birthday cake. You can’t celebrate a birthday without a cake, right? So on Christmas eve we will celebrate our King and Savior and thank Him for the best gift of all…our Salvation.


Let’s not lose sight this Christmas season in all of the craziness that surrounds us. Take time to thank the One who gave it all for YOU, that’s right You. Take a few minutes and remind yourself of the amazing story of Christ’s birth Matthew 1:18-25; Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-20.



Merry Christmas!

Love,


The Harpers

A little Challenge Can Go a Long Way

As most of you know I am an avid Rachel Ray fan.When I was a stay at home mom I often referred to her as my best friend and said that we talked twice a day! HA! No I am not crazy, but it was a joke b/w several of my friends b/c I watched her so often! Now that I am a working mom I record her show and try to catch up on my lunch break or late after the kids go to bed. And I only watch her talk show, The business of working a full time job, being a full time mom and in full time ministry has caught up with me! I actually have gotten it down to a science where I can watch an episode in about 15 minutes depending who the guest are. Well that was not the case about 6 months ago when she had a new Blogger mom-now blogger phenomenon-Erin Chase, better known as $5 Dollar Dinner Mom. Her goal is to cook dinner every night for her family of 4 for under $5. What a great challenge in this economy! I have become a huge fan and often try her recipes and have become a coupon clipping fanatic! Now if I can just learn to match things up the way she does! But I will gladly take the help of her daily emails where I can get all of the grocery deals that I can think of.

 

I have always been skeptical of giveaways-but may of Erin’s followers have won all kinds of neat products from her site. So for the first time I entered a giveaway from her site-connected with Carnation Milk. I mean who doesn’t use evaporated milk during the holidays! It is a min staple during the Holidays at my house, I use it regularly in my favorite fall recipe, I call “Pumpkin Stuff.” Plus the contest gives you all kinds of other yummy recipes. What’s not to love.

 

Like many of my other friends I have been challenged to be a better steward of the financial gifts God has given us, because it’s all His. So why not use it more wisely. My prayer is that he will continue to mold me into a better mother, wife and care taker of the things He has entrusted to me for this brief time, here on earth.

 

 

Pumpkin Stuff

 

30 oz. can pumpkin pie mix

 2 eggs, slightly beaten

 1can of Carnation evaporated milk

 1 box yellow cake mix

 1 1/2 sticks butter

 Mix all of the ingredients except the cake mix

Sprinkle one yellow cake mix over the top of the batter and then
Drizzle the melted butter on top of cake mix.
Bake in preheated 350º F., oven for 50 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

You won't relent
Until You have it all
My heart is Yours

I'll set You as a seal upon my heart
As a seal upon my arm
Forthere is love that is as strong as death
Jealousy demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love

Come be the fire inside of me
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me
Until You and I are one

Above are the words to ‘You Won’t Relent’ by Misty Edwards. I am also beginning the book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan, a book that calls us to a relentless relationship with Christ. I looked up the definition for relentless, Webster’s defines it as “ steady and persistent.” Take a minute and think about God’s relentless pursuit for us, the lyric above say “You won't relent until You have it all, My heart is Yours.” God NEVER gives up on us. He is chasing after our heart and our attention. He seeks our worship. His love for us is incomparable to any that we have here on earth and how often do we ignore Him. How many times a day do we crucify him AGAIN so that we can continue with the things that make us comfortable; to pray the same stale prayers, to speak before we listen, to stop and hear what God is saying to us. Take a minute and check out the God of the universe (http://www.crazylovebook.com/ and click on the “Awe factor” link). The same God that created what makes up those images seeks a personal, legalistic free, true, no-holds-bar relationship with us. Shouldn’t we return the favor and become as relentless about our pursuit towards him as He is towards us. After all He did sacrifice everything for us!

Homecoming, Here We Come!

I am kicking off the fall with a trip back to Emmanuel. I often refer to Franklin Springs as home. I am thrilled about participating in the Homecoming celebration next weekend. Sara (my BFF) and I are making it a girl’s weekend and I can’t wait to catch up w/ old college friends!


I am looking forward to reflecting and in the place where God showed me who I was in Him. The place where I realized my giftings and that God had called me to ministry. At that time I had no idea what that meant and where I would be 5 years down the road. I can remember so vividly standing at the altars during a convocation service, not knowing why I was standing there. I had just been drawn to the altar after a call to people who were going to be in full time ministry…I thought, I am going to be doing something in media or something in the business world- NOT full time ministry. Little did I know that I would be given the opportunity to pour in to the lives of little ones and now teens on a daily basis. I am grateful for God’s hand and for calling me that night at the front of the Swails Center.

Emmanuel holds many more memories for me including sleepless nights preparing for musicals, or pulling pranks; Building relationships with some who are my dearest friends even today, Players and Singers tours, long hours in admissions, meeting my wonderful husband and being abused on media trips…not really but it sure did take a lot to put up w/ those boys! Those are just a few things that shaped my time at Emmanuel. I am looking forward to this weekend and the chance to relive old memories with cherished friends!

Creatures of Habit, Chaos and Cheer

It’s amazing to me how God creates us so ornately different. I have known from day one of the arrival of each of my children that there would be a significant difference in their personalities. It was never more real to me than yesterday at lunch.


We had a busy afternoon, so we decided to go to our favorite stand-by Mexican restaurant. We can always get out of there in half the time than any other restaurant in town. We were seated in a round booth w/ Emma and Jamin sitting between me and Ben and Jenna in a High chair. While we were waiting for our food, Emma managed to spill an entire bowl of Salsa on the bench and the ground, Kick her drink off of the table (She decided she wanted to lay in the booth instead of sit), pour her drink down her shirt and throw some of her food across the table while putting it on her fork!

Jamin on the other hand, sat quietly next to me eating chips and salsa out of his own bowl and sharing my cheese dip w/ out one drip. I watched him very carefully dip the chip, tap it on the bowl to get the excess dip off and place the dipped portion of the chip in his mouth. Every move very calculated.

Jenna, also affectionately known as “Jenna Girl” around our house just loves to be around people. She smiles at everyone that passes, waves and giggles, and eats whatever you put in front of her! While she is still developing her personality she is the cheerful one of the bunch.

It is neat to see the bits and pieces of Ben and I that God has placed in each of them and to see them interact with each other. There has already been many arguments b/w all three of my little one and I know there are many too come. But my hope is they begin to see each other’s strengths even at an early age and will appreciate them. My prayer is that God is raising them up even now to be his strengths, his tools to grow the Kingdom taking all those idiosyncrasies they have that drive us crazy sometimes will be put to use as they grow in fellowship with Him, their Maker.

Once the race starts...there is no stopping!

I have several friends who are avid bloggers. I once had a blog and gave up. But I have been inspired by these friends and by my husband to start blogging again. I am a working mom who feels like her life is a whirlwind! So I thought by blogging it might help me to keep up with myself. Have you ever had those days where you can't tell your right hand from your left? Hopefully by having an outlet I will be able to organize my crazy thoughts and enjoy the memories I am able to share with those closest to me!
I hope to be able to be inspiring and be inspired by others. I hope this blog will be able to make others laugh, strecth our sense of spirituality, draw us closer to God and build relationships. Here's to the future of Life in Harperville!