Happy Anniversary TCC!

This past week our church, Treasuring Christ Church, celebrated their three year anniversary. At the fellowship we had a time-line up on the wall showing different highlights in our past and how the church had started. I was really blessed by the time-line because it evidenced how our church had been prayed over and sought for years before the first meeting. And how our pastors prayerfully went about starting the church. I started attending TCC about 6 months after the first meeting, so I've been there a long time but I wasn't there in the beginning when the origins was explained so it was fun to learn about.

Serving on the fellowship committee I have the unique opportunity to serve food when we all eat together. It's pretty much the highlight of any fellowship for me because I get to talk to almost everyone at our church. It's brief, but I do get to look them in the eye and have a conversation with them. And they're always glad to see me because they know I have the food. Even though we aren't a big church (150 strong!), it can still be difficult to see everyone on a Sunday and so it's nice to be able to just say "hi!" to those I often miss.

For the fellowship I made a cake in the shape of a church. Here are a few photos:


For a while people wouldn't cute into it, but then a certain 4 year old lopped off the steeple and the cake got eaten. Which I'm thankful for because I didn't want to bring the whole thing home with me. It was really fun to get out all my cake tools and decorate it - but I haven't done anything like this in years so I was a bit unsteady. But it turned out pretty well. So the next time you need a church shaped cake (or a house) let me know and I'll show you how to make one.

At long last - a post!

Sorry that we've been gone for so long from the blogging world. It's taken us a bit longer to get back to "normal" than I thought it would. But at long last we're feeling like we're at home and things are going really well. Every once and a while I do wander around my house wondering where something is, but for the most part I feel organized and settled. So now we can be back to communicating to the outside world.

I think in the last week and a half I've seen my husband work harder than I ever have before. He's cleaned carpets until 2:30 in the morning, installed lots of cabinets, hooks, rods, and blinds, and built me an attic! Well, he didn't actually build the attic, but he did take a non-functional attic and made it very functional. And that's just a little taste of what he's been up to. I am very appreciative of all the hard work that he's done, especially since he did it all for me. Britt probably didn't care too much about doing all these things, or at least he wouldn't have cared about doing them all in the first week. He did it for me so that I would feel more at home and settled here. And I love him so much more for it!

I don't have any pictures from the last two weeks, but don't worry - you'll get a few shots of Charissa soon. Or you can just look at the slide-show again. :)

A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words ...

We had our wonderfully talented friend Kristin take pictures of Charissa for her birthday. We had so much fun while she took the pictures and the results are AMAZING! I love these pictures! So, for your viewing pleasure, you may look at them by going to the Charissa Treece Slideshow.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

A Day with My Daugther

There are few days when I get to spend hours upon hours with my daughter; so when I do, it is pure joy. Even when things get difficult (dirty diaper, finicky feeding, whimpering and whining, real rebellion), I am thrilled and humbled by God to be able to spend time with my daughter. She is truly a blessing from God.

Thankfully, today was one such day. It was one of those days in which I can only wonder how long God will allow me to enjoy the company of my little girl and how short that time will seem. I am keenly aware of the fact that, whatever time He gives me, soon it will be gone and we will fly away.

This thought brings me to tears, but those tears bring my job as a father all the more into focus. The time that my daughter and I share together will be short, so I must be diligent to redeem it well for the glory of God in Christ.

So how did I use my time with my child today? How did you use yours?

First Piano Lesson

Charissa got a piano for her birthday and she absolutely loves it! She also discovered that she can sit down on things, so she's always trying to sit on her toys. I got a new recipe box that came in the perfect sized box for a piano bench. She had her first piano lesson the other day, and as you can see she was very excited about it.





This is when she's coming for her after-piano-lesson-hug, but it looks like she's trying to attack me.

Charissa is so much fun! I feel like we have more fun every day. What a joy to be a parent!

Tuesday Tip - 5 Dollar Store Deals

I was reading an article by Consumer Report that said there are 5 things you should always buy at the dollar store. Generally I view dollar stores as nothing but junk stores. But this article suggests that I'm missing out. I've copied it here for your reading pleasure. Enjoy! And save!

1. Cleaning Supplies
Don't expect to see many brand names that you recognize. Dollar-store cleaning products tend to be private labels developed just for that market. Most have the same ingredients as the brand names, just slightly more diluted. "They have to find some way to make it 99 cents," says Carolyn Forte, homecare director for the Good Housekeeping Institute. Unless you've got a job that requires more than a little elbow grease -- say, removing some seriously built-up grime from the tub or cleaning a red wine stain off the carpet -- these off-brand products should suit you just fine, she says.

2. Gift Wrap
Putting together a pretty package doesn't mean you need to spend a small fortune on wrapping paper, tissue and ribbon, says Constance Richards, author of 'Creative Giftwraps.' You can be just as creative with dollar-store materials for a fraction of the cost. In addition to conventional wrapping paper, dollar stores offer other items that can be used as wrapping materials, from placemats and bandanas to glittery hairclips (a creative and functional replacement for bows and ribbons).

3. Snacks
Hershey's With Almonds chocolate bar -- check. Planter's peanuts and Wise potato chips -- check, check. "Buying at the dollar store is certainly a lot cheaper than if you just walked into a grocery store without a coupon," says Teri Gault, founder of The Grocery Game, a program that helps consumers match manufacturer's coupons with store sales. And you'll spot the same brand names that you'll find at supermarkets and other convenience stores. Look for kids' snacks with long shelf lives, like chips, cookies and fruit rolls, she suggests.

4. Shampoo
Whether you're spending $1 for dollar-store shampoo or $20 on a pricey salon brand, that money is going one place -- down your shower drain, says Paula Begoun, author of 'Don't Go Shopping for Hair-Care Products Without Me.' "The notion that expensive means better is a joke," she says. No matter which kind of shampoo you buy, there are only minor differences in ingredients and concentration -- not enough to affect how clean your hair gets. Save your cash instead for your favorite conditioner, suggests Begoun. That's one product where you'll see more of a difference brand to brand.

5. Kitchen Accessories
When you're trying to coax the last bit of batter out of your mixing bowl and into the cake pan, it doesn't much matter where the silicone spatula you're using came from. You'll find plenty of kitchen accessories at dollar stores, from standbys like measuring cups and can openers to esoteric gadgets like melon ballers and egg slicers. One caveat: You might not want to buy anything with a blade, unless you don't plan on cutting food tougher than butter.

If you're going to a nursing home ...

... don't put your little girl in a blue outfit. All day she's going to be called "he" no matter how many times you correct them.

Live and learn. And then wear pink!

Little Girl, Big Love

For St. Valentine's Day Charissa painted her Daddy a picture. It's beautiful. And now it's hanging on our refrigerator which makes me so happy. I hope that I have artwork, papers, reports, etc. hanging on my refrigerator for the next 50 years. Every time I look at it I smile and feel so blessed by my little girl.

Here's some pictures of Charissa making her Daddy's card.





As you can see, playing with the paintbrush was more fun than painting on the paper. it still turned out well though. Her Daddy was very excited when he got it. It was a fun experiment with art, but I'm really glad she didn't have any clothes on. Somehow she did get paint all over her diaper ...

A Professional Homemaker

When I was in college I took this education course that talked about the differences between a lay position and a professional position. We had to discuss what made someone a professional. Several things we discussed was that a professional had to study about their subject first, they were often licensed by an outside source, it was a career and not just a job, and that they were affirmed by other professionals.

I got to thinking about this the other day because I feel like I'm on the road to becoming a professional homemaker. It all started because I bought a vacuum cleaner. But it wasn't just that I went to the store and got the coolest looking one - I did research. I read Consumer Report and looked at dozens of models. I compared their strengths and weaknesses, their features, and I read a ton of reviews by professionals and by the people who had bought them. It was a pretty lengthy process for a vacuum.

But I finally bought my vacuum! And it's amazing! I purchased a Kenmore Progressive. It's so cool! Which I know sounds really weird because I'm talking about a vacuum cleaner - but this is no ordinary vacuum cleaner. It has a "dirt sensor" on it that detects how dirty your floors are and it changes it's suction based on that so you don't over-stress your carpet fibers, and it also tells you when your carpet is clean. Imagine that! True, that could be annoying at times when you think your carpet is clean and the vacuum still has the red light on, but when the green light comes on I know my carpets are clean.

Anyway - all that to say that I feel like I'm starting to become a professional homemaker. I mean, it's definitely my career and not just a temporary job. And as most of you know, I've put a LOT of study into how to run a home (mostly because I had no clue how to do anything when I got married). Just don't rat me out to the authorities that I'm homemaking without a license.

Breakfast Comes in a Bowl!

The other morning Charissa displayed her first real sign of preference and picky-ness. I decided to give her a treat for breakfast and served her pancakes, eggs and bacon. She didn't eat a whole lot of it, but I just thought she wasn't very hungry. So then I sat down with her to eat my breakfast and she starts crying and reaching for me. So I gave her a few bites of my cereal and she was pretty happy, but she still wasn't eating her breakfast. And then it hit me: she's always had breakfast in a bowl. With whatever I've served her, it's always been in a bowl. So now in her mind she thinks that breakfast can only come in a bowl.

Isn't she weird? :)

Tuesday Tip - Getting Wax Off Tablecloths or Other Fabrics

I used to cringe when I saw wax on my tablecloths. It seemed like there was no way to get it off and there would always be this mark where a candle had once been. But I found a method that removes wax easily and completely! (And yes, I do know this sounds a lot like a infomercial. Just bear with me - you're going to want to hear this.)

Three Steps to Wax-Free Tablecloths
1. First pick away whatever pieces you can from the tablecloth.
2. Put a thin towel, a sheet of tin foil, and a grocery sack or paper lunch bag on your ironing board.
3. Then heat up the iron to its highest heat, and place the tablecloth wax side down on the top of these towels. The heat will melt the wax, and the pressure of the iron will draw it into the grocery sack/lunch bag. Keep doing this until it is removed.

I told you it was easy. And it works. In seconds. And there's no residue left over either. If the was was colored, then there might be a stain, but then you can just treat it like any other stain.

Now entertain with candles with no fear!

"Best Dressed at the Pool" Two Years Running

Some of you may remember the ridiculous swimsuit Charissa had last year. You know - the pink one with all the lace roses? Well - it's been outdone. The same kind family gave Charissa a new swimsuit for this upcoming summer. And here it is:



When I saw it I actually didn't think it was a swimsuit. I thought it was a dance outfit (which we might still use it for). It's so pretty! And what was really funny, was that Charissa did a first position dance move when she was in it (left leg back, right foot pointed, arms outstretched like she's holding a beach ball). I wish I had gotten a picture of it.

So this is just a preview of what summer trips to the pool are going to look like. Let's just hope all that fluff doesn't weigh her down so she can't swim.

Out Little Girl is One!

Our little girl turned one on February 1st! It was so fun to look back through the year and see how much she's grown and changed and how she's been such a blessing in our life. So here's a few "CJ Stats":

• Height: 28.5 inches (40th percentile)
• Weight: 17 lbs, 10 oz (5th percentile - the last time we went for a check-up CJ was in the 27th percentile for height and the 9th percentile for weight - so she's getting taller and skinnier)
• Abilities:
  
• walking(!!)
• can now say "mama", "dada", "nigh-nigh"(which means "night night), "nana" (which can mean "banana" or "Nana"), "woof", "yesh", "yah-yah", and she can make the sign for "milk" and uses it appropriately too
• she feeds herself the majority of the time and is completely weaned from the bottle
• she can color - it's kind of like interpretive art though
• she dances!
• she can point to something that she wants
  
• and new this week: she sings! But only if you are singing too.

Here's a few pictures from her birthday and her birthday party. We didn't take a lot because we were more interested in playing with her.

Here Charissa is opening the presents Britt and I gave her. She seems really thrilled about her new bath-time alphabet letters.

I got Charissa this mouse costume kit that included some ears, a tail and a necklace (I know she's too young for dress-up, but it won't be long!). As you can see from the picture, she's not amused. It's as if she's saying, "I can't believe you thought this was funny."

Charissa was getting cake at her party, so on her birthday we made Banana Pudding. She thoroughly enjoyed it even though it doesn't look like it.

And her she is at her party! We spruced up the high chair for her.

This is a dress that one of our friends gave her which came with a hat. I can't wait to put her in it this summer! Especially the hat!

It was a really fun birthday. Having kids really brings the fun back into birthdays. :)

I Love My Girls

God has given me a good gift in my girls. He has given me two very good gifts, indeed. My wife and my daughter are beautifully sweet means of God's grace to me. I am increasingly aware of these things as our time together increases.

As I love and spend time with my wife, God often reminds me of His marital, covenant love toward His people through Christ Jesus. And as we love and spend time with our daughter, God often reminds us of His fatherly love toward His people through Christ Jesus. How beautiful is His love in Christ indeed!

God created the family to show forth His glory because it fundamentally shows who He is, and I am humbled to even be a part of His family and to be placed as a husband and father into ours. I have not deserved any of it, but God has been incredibly gracious to me.

Tuesday Tip - Managing Your Household

I have been reading the book Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother by Carolyn Mahaney and it has been wonderful! I have really enjoyed how she is very Biblical in her exhortations, but she is also very practical. At the end of the chapter you don't sit there and wonder, "Well, that was a lot of good truths, but how does that work out in my life?" She's so clear and encouraging and makes being a woman of God look so enticing. Which it is. I was reading the chapter titled "The Honor of Working at Home" and it completely changed the way I view my job. Instead of seeing my housework as something to get done as quickly as possible so I can move on to something more important, she showed me that there is honor and value in doing these things. That I am creating a home that is safe and loving for my family - a haven for them to want to come to. And more importantly, I'm creating a home where God is honored by my management.

To encourage you today, I'm copying a portion of that chapter here. It's a little long, but I really feel like you will be blessed by what she has to say. Here it is:

"Martin Luther, the man who sparked the Protestant Reformation, once quipped about his wife: 'In domestic affairs I defer to Katie. Otherwise I am led by the Holy Ghost.' While facetious, Luther's comment holds biblical credibility. As wives, we are to be in charge of domestic affairs.

The command in Titus 2 to be 'working at home' is further illuminated by 1 Timothy 5:14 where Paul says: 'So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.'

In the Greek, the phrase 'manage their households' carries a strong connotation. It literally means to be the ruler, despot, or master of the house. So we see that 'working at home' means we are to function as the home manager - taking full ownership for all the domestic duties of the household.

Once again the woman in Proverbs 31 is our example. she presided over the entire range of responsibilities in her home. She helped her husband; cared for her children; completed chores; supervised servants; oversaw land; invested money; bought, sold, and traded goods (just to name a few duties!). The Provers 31 wife maintained a broad sphere of rule in her household.

Imitating this woman's model, Sarah Edwards, the wife of the eighteenth-century preacher Jonathan Edwards, managed her household with careful and thorough diligence. One day Dr. Edwards emerged from his studies and asked his wife: 'Isn't it about time for the hay to be cut?' To which Sarah was able to respond, 'It's been in the barn for two weeks.'

Sarah created a world where her husband could fulfill his God-given duties without being concerned for the domestic tasks of the home. We should aspire to do likewise.

Now with the command to 'rule' in our homes, I must provide two cautions. First of all, this is not license to usurp our husband's authority. Our management in the home must be carried out in complete support of his leadership and direction.

But this mandate also precludes the currently popular 'co-responsibility' approach to homemaking. As wives, it is our job to manage our homes, and we should not expect our husbands to contribute equally to this task.

This is not to say that our husbands shouldn't help around the house. There are times when we legitimately need their assistance, and this is especially true for moms with small children. The point is not to excuse our husbands from service in the home, but rather to solidify our role as manager of the home. God has given that assignment to us.

And in case the magnitude of this assignment makes you feel as if a load of bricks has just been deposited on your back, cheer up! This calling from God is not intended to be a burden, but rather a source of great fulfillment and joy. Even if we do not think of ourselves as administrators, as organized or capable of managing anything, and although we might not be as gifted as Sarah Edwards or the woman in Proverbs 31, God has equipped each of us with the skills we need to efficiently manage our homes.

For in truth, we are unable to rule effectively in our own strength. It is God who supplies all the time, energy, and ability we need to glorify Him as home managers."

-Carolyn Mahaney, Feminine Appeal, p 107-108

AMEN!! Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did!

Funny ...

My cousin sent this to me and it made me laugh. Hope you enjoy!

Snowy Fun

Amazingly, it snowed today! And it stuck! Last year it snowed on the day Charissa was born, but she hasn't seen any since, so today was very exciting for her. We went outside and stood in the snow and watched it collect on our jackets and hair and faces. Then we made a snowman! We were going to make a snow-woman, but we couldn't figure out how to make hair. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Charissa in the snow because I was holding her and couldn't take a picture at the same time. But I did go out later and take a picture of our snowman. Here he is:

I think this picture is a little misleading because he looks really big, but in reality he's only about 8 inches tall and he's stationed on the trunk of my car.

Another fun activity of the day was the creation of a St. Valentine's Day wreath. I painted different size and shaped hearts and then mod-podged various scriptures about love onto them. It was a fun activity that I really enjoyed. Here's my wreath:

It only took about two hours to create, and it only took that long because I spent forever trying to decide which scriptures to put on it. To find out which ones I chose you'll have to come over and read it.

Hope everyone had a fun and warm day!

Learning From Mama

Today Charissa did two hysterical things. We were playing in the morning and Charissa had her little toy phone in front of her. She picked up the receiver, put it to her ear and said, "hi!" Then she hung up the phone (she literally put it back on the base properly), picked it up and repeated this process like twenty times. I think she's practicing to be a receptionist.

The second funny thing she did this morning, was that she chauffeured her baby around the living room. She put the baby on her little school bus and then pushed her all around the room. Here's some pictures:

The baby gets a nice seat in the front of the bus ...

... then gets to go head-first into the wall ...

... then gets dumped on the floor...

...the baby gets back on the bus, but then Charissa does what no parent is supposed to do - leave your child alone in a car. Oh well - I guess we have time to teach her those rules.

It was just one of those days that made me realize how fun my "job" is.

Apparent You're a Parent

The other night I spent about 15 minutes carefully scrubbing the ears of a stuffed bunny. I had to be really careful how I cleaned it because in the bunny's head is a music box and it can't get wet or it won't work anymore. After I carefully scrubbed "Bunni-friend's" ears, I wrapped her head up in a towel, put her in a garment bag, and put her in the dryer on "gentle." There was a lot of effort put into insuring the bunny's safety.

But it was all worth it. When I gave her Bunni-friend back, Charissa eagerly grabbed her and pulled her in for a hug and then rested her head on Bunni-friend's head. I guess this is just one thing in a long series of things I will do to make my daughter happy.

Parenting is such a great picture of God's nature. I would give any good thing to Charissa happily and delight to sacrifice for her. And it doesn't matter what she does, or how she acts, or even if she ever says "thank you." I do it because she is mine. God gives because we are His and it is His delight to lavish good gifts on us. We don't deserve them, we can't earn them, and we'll never be able to repay Him. But we should say "thank you" - and often!

Sewing Machine

The BIG gift that I got from my parents this year Christmas was a Singer Ingenuity Sewing Machine. It's ridiculous. It's fully electronic and probably one of the easiest machines I've ever used (and I'm not just talking about sewing machines). I love it! You just push some buttons and the sewing machine automatically changes to the settings it needs. It's amazing. And I've already finished two projects! I was finally brave enough to take it out of the box on Friday and I read the whole manual (which I don't think I've ever done). On Friday I made a door-blocker-thingy to go in front of our front door so that it doesn't leak the cold and heat. And then on Saturday I made Charissa a dress! While there are LOTS of mistakes, I think it looks pretty good. Here's a few pictures:

In this picture Charissa is proving her true modeling capabilities. It's the "something-interesting-is-going-on-far-off-behind-the-camera" pose.

This is just a bonus picture because she's making her new strange face. She breaths rapidly through her nose and scrunches up her face. It's really funny.

I don't think I'll be making a lot of clothes for Charissa, but at least I know I can. If anyone has need for a sewing machine, you know my number!