Motherhood

"Train a child in the way

he should go ,

and when he is old

he will not turn from it."

Proverbs 22 : 6

As a mother I find myself eager to please the Lord in all I do. Oh it's such a privelege and joy to have been blessed as a mother. The ability to make a difference in the life of the children God has given. I don't need to go out looking for places to do the Lord's work. It's right here in my house to create experiences and make memories with my own children. Wow! when I think of its depth I am filled with awe that the Creator has given us the gift to mold, direct humanity.
In raising our children I find myself having a tendency to get frustrated during the training process. We are all human and that's the reason why we have those weaknesses. That's when I have to remind myself -

Be patient with my children

Ask the Lord to help me see them as He sees them curious, beautiful, creative, strong.....

Thank the Lord for all the opportunities which come over and over again which is part of the
process of their growth mentally, spiritually and not to choose to get frustrated.

Thank the Lord for each one of them so unique, their Creator has entrusted me with their life.

When I look to Him for my direction, He gives me a new perspective, the frustration just disappears immediately. It's amazing what a freedom we experience when we choose to pray instead of choosing words of frustration.

Once again it's a matter of choice, how do we respond to today's portion of challenges?

With the Lord by our side and our choice to do His will = Great things happen.

GOD

One thing I have desired of the Lord,

That I will seek;

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord

All the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the Lord.

Psalm 27:4

GOD, when I think of Him, I am filled with awe. What a great intelligence behind this creation of this beautiful universe. At night, the skies amaze me. Each of those stars stare down at us. How strategically they are placed. The brightness of their appearance, surely a clear contrast to the dark blue sky. Every night a praise rises from the very inside of my heart. It's inaudible, an awesome fullness within that I myself can't express with words.

The morning sun rises to give light to all. To the rich and the poor, to the good and the evil. The rain waters the earth for all. How generous is this creator. Truly supernatural, cause man by nature would choose to be biased one way or the other.

The trees look upward, who are they looking at? Rightly the One who gives them rain and sunlight. The birds sing sweetly early morning, who are they singing to? The One who knows each one of them.

Look at the ants, see the order in which they go about their life, who taught them? Truly the one who sets everything in order. Look at the tiniest creature to the largest creature, ask if you may, why they are the way they are?

You will get the answer back, It is He, the ancient of days, the Creator of them all. He set everything in order.

When I see all this, I ask, why oh mankind? to whom was given the right to choose, have you chosen to cause chaos?

As I feel downhearted, my heart comforts me, that's why Jesus came , to set everything back in order. I am so glad He came for me and all of mankind. I pray that eyes will be opened and will see the invisible Hand of Him who is in control of all.

Would you please share, how you see GOD in your daily life.

Safe in His arms

" I lay down and slept;

I awoke, for the Lord sustained me."

Psalm 3:5

My heart has been heavy these days and I've been appearing in our Almighty God's presence with my petition. I know in my heart that the Lord is with us every moment of our lives. He is a supernatural God and He has the power to be everywhere though we maynot understand how it is.

Yet our flesh is such that it makes us look at our circumstances and when life happens, or tragedies occur we start wondering and questions just pour into our minds- -HOW ? WHY ? WHY NOT ? etc...you name it.

This morning during my time with the Lord the portion I read was Daniel 1 :1,2 . Right there, the kind Lord spoke to my heart, the verse 2 says " And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God,...."( King Nebuchadnessar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it)

The Lord is in control even when we feel things are not in our control. Who better to trust than our Lord. I am safe in His arms, the Lord is fully aware of each minute detail of every issue of all the people everywhere. Our God is a big God. I am so glad He is my God and I am His.

The heaviness that was in my heart lifted up and a peace came that took all doubts away.

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork."

Psalm 19:1

Recipe for Butter Chicken my family loves

Don't forget to be kind to strangers,

for some who have done this

have entertained angels

without realizing it!

Hebrews 13:2

My hubby and my children love this chicken. Here's the recipe.


Ingredients:
One whole chicken
Butter - 4 table spoons
Cream --1 cup
Tomato puree--3 cups
Garam masala Powder ( Mixture of powdered spices like cloves, caradamoms etc.)

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Chopped green coriander leaves
for garnishing




Method:
1. Take 1 whole chicken, cut it into pieces, wash it and set it aside. I wash it with a little vinegar diluted in water. It takes all the slime away.
2. Heat half of the butter in a frying pan. Add ginger, garlic and and saute for a minute. Now add the chicken pieces and toss them. Cover it and cook until chicken is no longer pink or it's done. Set it aside.

3. While the chicken is cooking in another pan add the remaining butter and reheat. Add tomato puree, red chilly powder, garam masala powder ( can be bought at any Indian stores) coriander powder and salt. Stir well.

4. Add little water just enough to make a thick gravy and bring it to boil on high. Reduce the heat and add chicken pieces.
5. Stir gently to coat all the chicken pieces with tomato gravy. Add 1/2 cup cream and simmer for 10 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves and rest of the cream and serve hot over rice or with bread or wheat tortillas.

Visit www.anniekitchen.blogspot.com for more recipes

My Daily Routine

Commit your works to the Lord,

And your thoughts will be

established.

Proverbs 16:3

I am so thankful to God that He gave us a will and ability to choose to live the life God wants us to lead.

4 A.M Wake up! Time with God

5:30 A.M Make beds, Start Laundry

6 A.M Start coffee,

Wake up children

Make breakfast

Pack lunch

Learn memory verse, Pray

Drive children to school

Time with God

Dog to buisiness

Feed dog and cat

Tidy Living room

Quick bathroom, mirror, sink and toilet clean up

Water plants, I eat breakfast if not allready done with the children and Hubby

9 A.M Exercise

9:30 A.M Quick shower

9:40 A.M Sweep and vaccum ground floor

10 A.M Cook dinner

12P.M Fold Laundry and put it away

1:15 P.M Pick up dog buisiness and empty cat litter

1:30 P.M Organize craft section and steel cabinets

2:45 P.M Pick up child from school, serve snack and ask about what was taught today etc....

3:30 P.M Pick up older children from school, serve snack

4:30 P.M Supervise Homework, Read with child

Supervise Piano practise

5 P.M Serve dinner

6 P.M Free play time, walk with family and dog

7 P.M Bath time

8 P.M Family devotion time

9 P.M Bedtime

Time with Hubby

Time with God

Sleep zzzzzzzzzzzz.........

Other tasks that will be included into the daily routine on other days are below---

Task A- Wash down garbage cans

Pick up dog and kitty litter

Task B- Plan meals, Make shopping list

Task C- Major bathroom and toilet clean up

Refill soap

Dust furniture

Task D- Sweep and vaccuum ground floor

Mend clothes

Task E- Check for cobwebs and vaccum first floor

Fold laundry and put it away

Task F- Sweep and mop loors

Organize an area

Task G- Vaccum furniture

Plan on inviting someone over for sunday lunch

Plan games with children

Task H- Pull weeds

Tend to flower garden

Task I- Vaccum blinds in an area

Task J- Change sheets

Wash sheets

Task K- Organize photos

Task L- E-mail friends

Pay bills

Blog on website

Task M-Bathe dog and cat

Task N - Sweep and clean front porch and patio

Cleaning tasks-

Stove

Fridge

All screens and mirrors

Sinks, bathrooms, toilets,counter tops, showers

Mop floors,wash trash cans

Vaccum car and van

Spice cabinets, pantry

Coat closet, garage

This is just a guide to help get started and each one can tweak it as necessary according to our needs.

Homemaking

....young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

Titus 2:4-5

Wow, this is so wonderful. I feel so blessed to be the wife of this great man and mother of our precious son and daughters.

The Lord spoke to me that I was doing a very important job at home. My hubby is travelling and he was looking for some place to eat his breakfast at the airport. What if the cafe workers thought that it was a boring job or demeaning job to cook food and wouldn't open the cafe. My hubby and many others like him would go hungry and their bodies wouldn't get the nourishment needed. This would result in him not being able to function well and serve the people he had to serve.

In a way if we look, all the people are serving someone who has been placed in their path by way of occupation or family or friendship. It wouldn't be a pleasant feeling if everyone decided that their service was not worth their time which they could use for their own self. And things wouldn't get done and any nation wouldn't be what it is, if the citizens didn't do their part.

Homemaking is a great job. Home is the background against which our life is lived. A safe retreat from the world's buffetings. Home is the most sacred and exciting place on earth.

Committing my family early every morning to the creator of this universe my Lord Jesus Christ.

As a homemaker I am preparing nutritious food for the nourishment of the bodies of my husband and children.

I am making sure our home is a clean and orderly place where they can come and rest and be replenished.

The clothes are all laundered and ready to wear. Teaching my children by example and training to have order in their life.

Teaching my children to set their priorities God first and all things will be well and in order.

Always being available for my hubby and children whom I have chosen to make the center of my life next to God.

Showing hospitality to those the Lord has put in our path so they will be refreshed and be inspired to get closer to the Lord.

Being charitable to those the Lord has put in our heart and path and thereby being a good steward of all that's given to us.

This is my gift, may be different for each person. I am gifted with the ability to appreciate Landscapes and paint them . It draws me closer to the Creator whenever I paint, it's a spiritual experience for me.

Now it's my prayer for all those wives and mothers to take their job seriously. No matter what you do, remember you are a child of God, a woman , a full time mother. By doing so we are making this unit of society called home the launching pad where we are getting our family launched into life.

A clean, happy, well organized home life enriches the lives of those who live in it and all those who come in contact.

There is cleanup always launching any worthwhile project. Focus on the end result. Cleaning feels good, necessary and even noble.

Need of the early morning quiet time

Now in the morning having risen

a long while before daylight,

He went out and departed to a solitary place;

and there He prayed.

Mark 1;35

If the Lord Jesus felt the need of this early morning quiet time,how much more should I!

He opened His ear each morning to receive instructions for the day from God the Father.(Isaiah 50:4,5)

How often the Lord has woken me up,

and I just tried to roll on and catch some more sleep.

Pretty soon as the day dawns,

say a quick prayer and a quick reading of the Word.

And all that needs to be done crowd into my schedule.

Chaotically every thing's done as if to keep from drowning,

in all that needs to be accomplished.

I realise, oh I haven't spent my quiet time with my Lord today,

No wonder I have been gasping for time.

when I did not give my early morning to the owner of time,

To come and meet quietly before daylight.

He's waiting there for me,

to give me the secrets, for my day ahead.

I earnestly repent and He quickly forgives,

and is always ready to restore ,

the close relationship I cherish.

My Father,my Daddy,my Lord!