Still My Little Boy - JJ Heller

If you haven't heard this song yet, oh man. All the feels are coming out.

Now that you are bawling your eyes out with me...

I don't believe the intention of the song is to glorify Mary for her sacrifice in any way. But, to be honest, I respect Mary for her willingness to listen and obey God, even to the point of giving her son to God.

This song is a wonderful reminder of just how 'fully man' Jesus became. He came as a baby and was loved and raised by his earthly parents. Just as the Passover lamb would be cared for and kept with the family, treasured and loved; fed from the table and slept in the house, only to prepare for the day of sacrifice. Jesus' family watched Him grow from infancy through toddler-hood to a strapping teenager and eventually the 30 year old man he was when His ministry began. All the time knowing that He was the ultimate Passover lamb and sacrifice for the world.

As I watch my three boys grow each day, I can't imagine anything bad happening to them. I do my best to protect them from the slightest bumps and bruises, and I love them in a way I can't even put into words. What I can not possibly imagine is raising them knowing that one day, they would die a horrible death. I am thankful for the fortitude Mary showed in raising her son, the son of God and her recognition of God's plan and purpose for His life. What a great example to all of us Mamas!

I read recently in a book about a woman named Annie Rossell Fraser. Her son traveled with Hudson Taylor on his mission work in China. The story goes that she prayed that at least one of her children would do mission work. Though she missed him when he left, she sent him willingly (not knowing if she would ever see him again) saying, "I could not pour ointment on his blessed feet, as Mary did. But I gave him my boy." Dude! Wow!

This also makes me think of Hannah in the Bible and how she prayed and prayed for a child. She so desperately longed for a child that she promised God that if He gave her one, she would dedicate him back to the Lord. God did bless Hannah with a son, and guess who he was. Samuel, the prophet who anointed the first kings of Israel!

What amazing examples we have in these women. My prayer is that I can daily offer up my children to the Lord. They are after all just on loan, and are His to begin with.

Keeping the Home [The Ultimate Chore Checklist]

If you are like me, I'm sure taking care of a household can be a daunting task! The biggest area I struggle in is cleaning. "When do I know I've done it all?" "Just when I think I'm done, 5 more things pop up in my head that need to be done!" "The list is endless, how will I ever conquer it?! ""My kids just mess it up right after I clean. What's the point?!"All thoughts I have had as well. I hope this inspires you to take back control of your household chores and learn how to tackle them head on. [NOTE: I have by no means perfected this, but I'm working on it right alongside you!]

The first thing I did was mentally, and sometimes physically, walk through my house and write down all the things that needed to be cleaned, picked up, tidied, washed, ect. EVERYTHING! You will see my list in just a moment. I am huge on checklists. There is nothing more gratifying or tangible than checking off boxes and seeing progress being made. This is my method, yours may be different, but it is working for me. After I made my list, I fill in anything that I missed by walking around each room and looking at EVERYTHING. The key in this step is to be so thorough that you can't possible forget about something. Then, I organized by upstairs and downstairs. This will change when we move, and my list will change slightly, but the concept remains the same. You can even break down by room. This makes all the chores seem like less of a big job to tackle. I am hopeful that this will help in teaching my kids how to do chores as well. With three boys, I have a feeling that I will need to be very specific in my instructions, and guys, this is a specific as it gets!

Here are my lists:

Here is the link to the lists so you can edit them as you would like: https://www.canva.com/design/DACzu4GA4R8/share?role=EDITOR&token=qmS0BbG4v8nlG8Y6BObnmg&utm_content=DACzu4GA4R8&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton

You can easily put these lists in frames or in page protectors in a folder or post them on your fridge. I love having lists to check off and reminders when I feel like I'm forgetting something. My next project will be to make chore lists like this for my kiddos. They are still a little young, but it won't be long before they start taking on their own age appropriate tasks as a part of our household.

I hope you enjoy these lists and put them to good use! I can't wait to see how you use them so make sure to post them up!

Homemade Pear Sauce and Pear Syrup

What can you do with 3 lbs of pears? Check this out!

My best friend told me about this amazing treat they make every once in a while at their house and after forgetting to make it a half a dozen times, I finally did it! I made Pear Sauce! This is perfect for us, because Raylen can't have applesauce because it doesn't agree with him (if you catch my drift) but pears are good. It was so easy to make and tastes amazing!! You don't have to add anything at all to it, although you can add spices if you want a little more flavor. (I added cinnamon to mine.) This is also a great recipe to can in your water bath canning system. So, if you are like me and haven't ventured into pressure canning yet, here is a great recipe to try in your water bath! If I can ever find pears on sale, i plan on make a huge batch of this and putting up as many jars as I can.

Check out the video for how I did it and keep reading for the specifics.

Did you know??

Pears are so good for you!! They are high in fiber and a great source of vitamin C, as well as rich in antioxidants. They are known to help fight diabetes, are good for your heart, help you lose weight, and improve digestion! So, I need to start eating pears like yesterday! I didn't realize that pears are actually very cold hardy and are harvested all year long. The pear is traced back to China, but today there are over 300 varieties of pear trees all over the world.

Here is a great resource to learn more about pears and their health benefits: https://draxe.com/pear-nutrition/

The whole process of making pear sauce was relatively simple. I just peeled and cut the pears, cooked them and then strained to make a smooth sauce (if you want a chunky sauce, you don't even have to do this step). I even made a pear butter type thing out of the scraps and it tastes amazing! I think I'm going to use it as a glaze for a pork dish. We shall see.

Anyway, pear sauce is easy, not sure if it is cheaper yet, but there are no artificial ingredients and if that is important to you, then I'd say its worth it! I am still learning more about canning and as I become more confident I will write more about it. But for now, all I have to say about it is that it is fun and I can see myself canning for many years to come!

I hope y'all enjoy this super easy recipe! Let me know how your pear sauce turns out!