Made In His Image

This is day three of a series posts (click here to see day one or day two) concerning human life. On day two I shared a rational argument to support a pro-life position. Today, I want to focus on the argument that I think comes before any other, namely, that we are image bearers of God himself, which compels us to treat life with dignity and sanctity for that very reason alone. I really like how concise Wayne Grudem, in Systematic Theology, has described our uniqueness of being created in God's image. Therefore, I am going to loosely follow his outline, and when I quote him directly, I will just include the page number for reference. Systematic Theology is one of those books everyone should have in their personal library. I can sit and read it for hours and be edified every time.

Why were we created?

26 Then God said, o “Let us make man [8] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:26-31)

"....everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made." (Isa. 43:7-read the whole chapter)

Simply put, God made us for his own glory: to exalt his majesty, grandeur, and splendor. God has created men and women for this purpose, which shows that our creation was not made void of purpose, but rather full of purpose, and that God cares about us.

What does it mean to be created in the image of God?

Out of all of the other creatures and the rest of creation (like plants, clouds, stars, etc.) humans are the only ones that are created with the special quality of bearing God's image. Grudem uses this definition: "The fact man is in the image of God means that man is like God and represents God. Both the Hebrew word for 'image' {tselem} and the Hebrew word for 'likeness' {demut} refer to something that is similar but not identical to the thing it represents or is an 'image' of. The word image can also be used of something that represents something else (442)." This is not a exhaustive list, but some of those characteristics include (445-449):

• moral creatures-able to distinguish right and wrong, a quality other creatures do not possess, as well as being held morally accountable for our actions.
• spiritual creatures-we are able to relate to God (ex. pray and praise him), again, a capacity unique to humans.
• mental capabilities-we can reason, think logically, and learn in a capacity that is greater and even unique from other animals. We have the ability to use abstract language. We have an ability to understand such a thing as a future and even a past, so much so that we think about eternity and where we will live beyond death. We are creative and express ourselves in many ways through art, music, cooking, dance, etc.
• relational abilities- we don't just live relationally to one another but we have the ability to live intimately with one another as well as function in different roles such as a husband and wife would. We also have been charged with ruling over creation and the redeemed will judge even over the angels someday (1 Cor. 6:3, Gen. 1:26, Ps. 8:6-8).
• physical attributes- although God himself does not have a body, our bodies function in ways that relate to him or reflect his character in some way such as the fact that we see and hear just as God does in fact both see and hear. It is not just our mental and spiritual attributes that were created in God's image but our physical attributes are too. Plus, in both respects we have the ability to, through the grace of Christ, grow in our ability to reflect God's own nature and attributes such as in truth, or holiness, or compassion.
• Keep in mind: God first created the stars, the universe, the ocean, the animals, the plants (in no particular order by my list) and called them good. But (!) none of these did he give the status as having been created in His image until he created male and female, which he said was very good.

This declared status alone (made in His image) should give us full protection and equal worth among individuals no matter size, culture, skin color, functional ability, born or pre-born.

Another reality:

It is true that because of our sin (rebellion against God and a breaking of His law which he declares as good) our reflection bearing God's image has been distorted. For instance, before Adam and Eve sinned their relationship with God was pure. They didn't lie, hurt one another, or act ashamed before each other because they were naked. But afterward, they hid from God in shame, lied about what had happened, and blamed each other for the fault (Gen 3). They no longer reflected God's moral purity in the way they were originally created to reflect it. Instead, rather than having a nature that was bent toward good, they/we now have natures that are naturally bent toward evil. However, albeit imperfect, they/we still do bear His image mentioned in the bullet points above.

God warned Adam and Eve of this potential distortion. He told them that if they chose not to trust that His word was true, and instead disobey His instructions, they would die. When tempted, Eve was told by the serpent, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:4-5).” I just read recently (I can't remember where) that Eve should have told the serpent that she was already like God. But he tempted her into thinking that God had withheld some good thing from her and that she could achieve it by her own means. God's good word came true. Although they did not die immediately, their bodies began the process of death and decay, and their spiritual relationship that had once been life giving was now destroyed: they were "dead" and cut off from free relationship with their Creator. We are in the same situation. As scripture states, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)," and "the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)".

God is so good. Although we all deserve death, God chooses to make a way to restore our relationship with Him and reclaim His image through us. We cannot restore this relationship by doing what we can to cover over our wrongdoings, or doing enough good to offer it to God as repayment for the wrong we have done. Nor can we compare ourselves to another individual who is seemingly "worse" than us. Rather, Jesus, by his death on the cross, paid for our wages of death by dying in our place and appeasing God's wrath toward us because of our wrongdoing. His holiness and justice demand that payment be made and restitution occur. Jesus paid this price for us as an act of love so that relationship and life would be restored.

Your relationship with God can be restored. Jesus says, "Repent (turn from your ways and toward God's), for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matt 4:17) and, "...I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:5)." John, the apostle, says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). God's desire for us is to "be conformed to the image of his son (Romans 8:29)," as we were created to be in the beginning. He now makes a way for us to be more like him in the end.

"...If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

SLED: A Rational Argument

Yesterday I posted on the topic of abortion and said that today I would post a rational argument for a pro-life position. I say I will give a rational argument because even though I believe first and foremost our defense comes because we are image bearers of God himself, I know that not all of you hold to that belief. There are other arguments to defend the sanctity of human life. I agree with Scott Kluensdorf and his SLED acronym as I will share later below.

• When does a pre-born two cells, blastocyst, embryo, or fetus become human, alive, a person, or a baby worthy of value, dignity, and protection?
• Are humans valuable intrinsically (simply because it's human) or because of its functional ability (capability to operate in the purpose for which is was designed)?

I am going to argue that at the moment of conception until natural death a new, actual life and person has begun that has value intrinsically and not because of its functional ability . I say new because it is entirely unique with a set of 46 chromosomes and genetic material that has never been put together before that is also unlike other cells. I believe it's an actual person of the human race and not just a potential one because potentiality is determined by viability and viability is totally subjective. And I think intrinsically because humans are unlike any other species (and image bearers of God himself with a spirit) and lack of a specific human capability (a deformity) should not disqualify them from value and protection to have rights as individuals.

Furthermore, I think you can equally compare personhood status with that of a pre-born baby to a toddler or human any x age. I will say that the termination of a pre-born baby is the moral equivalent to the termination of a toddler or any other person x age because of (italics are mine):

S — Size
A fetus (or any stage of development that is pre-born) is smaller than a newborn (or any other child x age). But are large people "more human" than small people? Are you more human than the toddler sitting next to you because of your size or age?

L — Level of development
A 4-year-old child is less developed than a 14-year-old. But does that make the 4-year-old less of a person? Development can be relative as well because each person does not develop exactly the same and some may have deformities that may cause certain bodily functions to not develop at all. It makes them no less human.

If self-awareness and intelligence define us as human beings, that means those who are more intelligent have the right to exploit those of less intelligence. Obviously, this is not the case.

E — Environment or location
Does location have any bearing on who you are? Do you stop being yourself if you change locations? A pre-born baby is no less human one minute before they were born vs. one minute after. Being housed in a few inches of tissue vs. being on top of a few inches of tissue does not affect personhood either.

Clearly, changing location does not stop us from being who we are, be it traveling from one city to another, or eight inches down the birth canal.

D — Degree of dependency
Does the ability to live independent of anyone or anything contribute to humanity? Is every person who depends on medication for survival less human than those who are not? Some people believe that a pre-born baby "becomes" a human being when it is capable of surviving outside of the mother's womb without artificial support. Yet there are people who depend upon insulin, heart pacemakers and diabetes medication, and without these supportive measures, these people would not survive. This does not make them less human than we.

Lastly, if SLED provides an argument for equal value of personhood between that of a fetus and a toddler, the creation and destruction of embryos for research is equally as morally wrong. Hear me correctly, I am for stem cell research. It is a very good thing. I want to see suffering alleviated in this life as much as possible. But, I am absolutely against the creation and destruction of embryos to do this. Just because we can do certain technologies does not mean that we should. Not only is it morally wrong, but not one treatment has come from embryonic stem cells while multiple treatments have come only from using adult stem cells or those from umbilical cords for treatments for such diseases as leukemia and bone/blood cancers. Plus, adult stem cells can be manipulated "to generate embryonic-like cell lines using a single-cell biopsy similar to that used in preimplantation genetic diagnosis that may allow stem cell creation without embryonic destruction (click here for resource)." So why create life just to destroy it when there is no need?

There is one more facet of the sanctity of human life that I would like to address in my next post. I thought I was going to be able to post it tomorrow, but it looks like we are having unexpected company from Germany come tonight! So, as soon as I can sit back down to the computer again uninterrupted, I'll be sure to post the last segment.

Thoughts about this subject any of you would like to share?

See Day One

See Day Three

From Embryo to Fetus

Well, we are now 9 weeks pregnant. Techinally, our baby has graduated from an embryo to a fetus. Wikipedia states from the Encycopedia Britannica that,

"In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development begins about eight weeks after fertilization, when the major structures and organ systems have formed, and lasts until birth."

Since I always have baby on my mind these days I thought I would take the opportunity to write a couple of posts about the embryo and the fetus. I hope that you will be encouraged by them and gain some new insight that would make you passionate about wanting to love and nurture them both and the women who carry them.

TOPIC #1: Dr. Bernard Nathanson

Who is he?

Nathanson is a Dr. from new York. He graduated from med. school in 1949 and became licensed to practice medicine in New York in 1952. In 1968 he became popular because he became one of the co-founders of NARAL (National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws) and was highly influential in the court case Roe vs. Wade, in fact, helping it to succeed. After founding NARAL he became director of CRASH (Center For Reproductive And Sexual Health) which was the largest abortion clinic in New York which had 10 operating rooms, 35 doctors, and 85 nurses, that operated 7 days a week from 8am until midnight. On average 120 abortions were performed daily and at the end of 2 years they had done 60,000. Dr. Nathanson himself has done 5,000 abortions with 10,000 having been done by his residents under his direct direction which totals 75,000 in two years. Read his personal story about the founding of the clinic here.

So, what about it?

Something happened. Want to know what? In the middle of those two events happening (NARAL and CRASH) the ultrasound was developed. Wanting to be the leader in abortion knowledge and practice, Nathanson decided to tape footage of an abortion happening. Excited to see the footage (click here to see it for yourself), he and his partner watched the footage only to see what he described as the fetus showing signs of distress and making faces as to what appears to be cries of pain. Realizing the horrors of what abortion is, what he calls "an impermissible act of deadly violence" and "a crime against humanity", he stopped his clinic and became a staunch pro-life advocate and serves as an expert witness in many medical malpractice cases. He also talks openly about how he fed the media lies concerning statistics to make passionate claims for abortion and to directly affect the many legislative decisions that came around that time including Roe vs. Wade (here and here).

What is this evidence of?

At the time, Nathanson was one of the most influential pro-abortion advocates of his era and after being a medical expert on the subject with first hand experience and research he changed his mind and became convinced it was wrong. Let this be an encouragement those of you who pray often that the hearts and minds of women and men and those in the medical community would be changed concerning this subject.

Topic #2

I realize that not all pregnancies are expected, and many women find themselves in very difficult situations during their pregnancy. Prior to these tough circumstances, many women would never have considered terminating their pregnancy, but now are faced with tempting thoughts of termination. I also know that thousands of women who find themselves contemplating abortion already have 1-4 other children (see stats here). So, I don't want to be naive in understanding the agonizing struggle that some women go through when facing a decision on whether or not they should go through with an abortion.

If this is you, could I direct you to a resource? I heard Leslie Leyland Fields (mother of 6) talk about this very struggle herself. She very candidly wrote a book called Surprise Child and speaks of the same temptations she had herself and how she walked through the process of choosing to have her child rather than terminate it. I encourage you to click on the link and look around her website. Also, click here to see the risks associated with the abortive procedure.

TOPIC #3

I know that 1 out of every 2.5 women has had an abortion. Those statistics are very high. I also know that often there is a silent and underlying grief and sadness that many feel after the realization of what happened hits them. This grief also does not only concern women, but men as well. One day, when they see their 5 year old son, they look up and something just clicks and they think, "I could have had another one... that looked just like him." Grieving over a lost child is normal, natural, and expected. There is an actual term for it call PASS (post abortion stress syndrome). Click here to see symptoms. If this is you, could I encourage you to talk to someone or to even visit Abortion Recovery InterNational? This is an excellent non-profit Christian organization dedicated to help those who have had abortions deal with their grief and begin to recover. They have hundreds of locations all over America and a care line 1-866-4-My-Recovery to help assist you.

Talking about abortion is difficult. Tomorrow, I want to share one more post that gives a rational argument defending the pro-life position.

See day Two

See day Three

Where did that come from?

Two days ago, as Hannah and I were eating breakfast together, I asked,

"How are you?" (me)

"Um, not good." (Hannah)

"What's wrong?" (me)

"I've been sick" (Hannah parroting me saying this the past couple of months)

"You've been sick? What's the matter?" (me)

"Sick of boys." (too funny! She talks about the "boys" all the time that are in her Sunday school class. She is ONE girl out of NINE- 3 year old boys. They tell me that she holds her own in there. I can only imagine.)

Today, as I was holding her, I said,

"Are you my big girl?"

"No."

"Are you my little girl?"

"No."

"Then what are you?"

"Too much."

"Ha, Ha! Yes, you are, too much!"

Yard Work-Happy Spring

Today was another gorgeous day outside. Plus, we had Daddy home which made it a bonus. We spent most of the day doing yard work. I have tried multiple times to take Hannah outside to just mess around in the yard and let her find her own play. I am serious when I say she is just not interested. She would rather rock in the rocking chair, ride a tricycle, or do anything with me (like planting flowers below) other than just be in the yard. One part of me thinks that it is so weird. Another part of me thinks, "I totally understand, child."

One of the reasons I don't think she likes to just mess around is that she does not like to get dirty. She was having a blast planting flowers with me using her new kid sized gardening tools. That is, until she got the dirt on her hand. She had to stop. She needed a "napkin" and went inside to not only get one for herself but brought me one too. Then, when she saw I wasn't using it and had black potting soil on my hands she kept saying, "Mommy, look at your hands. Mommy look at your hands," in utter disbelief that I would not go and immediately wash it off.

All that to say, I just think it's so funny. To be honest, as much as I would like for her to have a little bit more inquisition of nature, I like that I don't have to do the extra work of hosing her off in the end.

Picnic

Yesterday was a great day for a picnic supper! After I picked hubs up from work we stopped by the grocery and grabbed some food. Then, we went down to the end of our neighborhood and had a picnic while we watched the two tennis games that were in session. Next, we played on the playground and came home at dusk. Perfect!

3 Part Cards

If you are in the stage where you are doing three part cards, check out Montessori Candy's Three Part Cards and how she puts them together. Great ideas!

Best Seat In The House

This is Hannah's new favorite place to sit. In fact, she even does a little bit of reading here. I am not ready to potty train. But, she will be ready soon. However, this is a bit of fun (for her) before the real thing begins...

Finished!!!

I finally finished the 21 aprons for our church's children's musical! What relief. I think I am an expert apron maker by now... ;) I turn them in tonight for their dress rehearsal and they wear them in about a month. I'll try to get a photo of how they look on the kids themselves.

Are You A Parent of Young Ones?

If so, these posts by GirlTalk might encourage you today... check them out!

Out of Time

The Gospel For Busy Moms

Above All Others

Shaping And Shepherding

How To Exasperate Your Children

In Colossians 3:21, parents (Scripture addresses fathers specificially) are commanded not to exasperate (aggravate was used by the translation below) your children lest they become discourage and quit trying. The Irish Calvinist posted 12 things that parents can do to exasperate their children. Sometimes reading something in the negative (don't do this rather than do this) can give me a new understanding when I read something, as was the case here. There is a MP3 to accompany the 12 things that I recommend listening to in order to get more perspective.

Colossians 3:18-21

18 You wives must submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.

19 And you husbands must love your wives and never treat them harshly.

20 You children must always obey your parents, for this is what pleases the Lord.

21 Fathers, don't aggravate your children. If you do, they will become discouraged and quit trying.

I am more and more convinced that to train, rebuke, correct, instruct, discipline, and teach my children requires the Holy Sprit's power working through me. Without it, I am quick to get tired, discouraged, and harsh/frustrated because teaching children to come to terms with their own sin and need for forgiveness and to turn and do what is right takes time, prayer, and work. But I want to reap a harvest, so I will pray and trust that God will help me sow what is good in the hearts He has entrusted to me even when I feel like I am in the thick of the weeds.

Charlote Mason: Free e-books

If you'd like to read two free e-books, there are some available at simplycharlottemason.com. Or, click on the links below. Fist, let me say, I have not read this myself just yet but I wanted to pass along the information. Second, I really enjoy Simply Charlotte Mason so I am sure they will be helpful to gain a wider perspective on education. Click here to read an older post about who Charlotte Mason is and what her method is about.

Masterly Inactivity

About the book from their website:

Do you ever feel like you’re on the Mommy See-saw? “I must teach my child to obey, yet I don’t want to be a dictator.” “I want my child to enjoy his childhood, but I can’t just allow him to run wild and do anything he wants to do.”

Welcome to the Mommy See-saw. Up and down, back and forth we teeter, wishing we knew the secret to keeping a happy balance. Charlotte Mason called that happy balanced state Masterly Inactivity.

These Masterly Inactivity articles will help you

• Discover wise and purposeful letting alone
• Check that your fence of authority is in place
• Learn when to grant favors and when to stand firm
• Find out about the game that all children play
• Increase your confidence as a parent
• Plus you will receive more than fifty Charlotte Mason quotes on parenting!

Education Is An Atmosphere, A Discipline, A Life

About this book:

It is our pleasure to provide this free e-book, Education Is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life, with the hope that it will encourage and equip you in your roles as homeschooler and parent. Charlotte Mason had some wonderfully practical ideas that apply to both roles. This book presents just three of her key ideas and gives real-life examples and applications so you can see what those ideas might look like in your home.

• Chapter Titles:
• Education Is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life
• Education Is an Atmosphere
• What Everybody Ought to Know about Choosing Curriculum and Schedules
• Are You a Thermostat or a Thermometer?
• Education Is a Discipline
• Five Ways to Cultivate Good Habits
• Discipline Brings Freedom
• Education Is a Life
• Charlotte Mason’s Methods

Slowing Down

If you haven't been able to tell, I have slowed down quite a bit and not just with blogging. Actually, most days I feel like all I can do is take care of Hannah's needs, shower, and sleep. Forget eating if I have to make it myself. Hubby has been re-recruited to put together meals as long as he doesn't tell me what it is beforehand lest I am completely disgusted by the thought of it. I am hanging in there and I am praying this won't last forever and that this next month will go by quickly. I have to take courage that this is not the forever norm!

As another side note, if you check this blog for Montessori activities (one, I am humbled that you would) I am sorry that you have not seen any for awhile either. I am kind of taking a break from putting activities together as much as I used to because I needed a break and wanted to regroup since I am in my last semester of my on-line Montessori classes before I am finished. I want to start anew when I am feeling better and closer to when Hannah's age corresponds to what activities are in my binder. Montessori postings may be sparse until then and we will be going on more outings around town before adding a baby to the mix makes that a little more difficult. On a happy Montessori note, I won a free set of PDF research guides Montessori For Everyone! You should definitely check out her site. It's grand.

In the meantime, if there is anything that you would like me to write about or want to know about me or my family, please send me a request in the comments section to give me some new inspiration to write!

Oh Yes

This speaks love to me...

7 Organizing Myths Debunked

I've Searched For Four And A Half Years...

.... to find a pot pie recipe that I actually like and will want to make again. This is not an understatement. I am kind of picky about the whole thing. The stuffing to cream ratio needs to be just so (and no canned cream of whatever) and the crust I want to be home made and not the store bought kind. I can't tell you how many I have tried to no avail, that is, until tonight! Yippie! Seriously, it made me sad to think I have had to look for so long because it's one of my favorite recipes. Plus, I've eaten like a bird from pregnancy (boooooo!) and tonight I could actually eat two helpings (yeaaaaaaa). Not being able to eat is torture for me.

Speaking of pregnancy, last week I was craving a big, huge Thanksgiving turkey. So, I went to Whole Foods and bought one. We made it last night. Know how many bites I took? TWO. Another sad day. So, I decided to make turkey pot pie since we have so much meat leftover. I am actually glad we made a turkey because now I can make a variety of different things with it for awhile.

Without further adieu, here are the two recipes I used for this dish.

AllRecipies Chicken Pot Pie IX--the only thing I did differently was double the amount of pepper it calls for and use one pie crust vs. two (I ran out of butter and it was actually perfect this way), oh, and I drained the remaining water from the veggies that was a slightly different mixture that had green beans and corn in it.

Pie Crust from How To Cook Like Your Grandmother-- the best thing about this pie crust is that you roll it out in a plastic zip lock bag so you don't have to put down flour and get your rolling pin and counter all messy. Plus, you can make multiples and store them for later in the fridge or freezer. Grand, I tell you. I followed his recipe because, frankly, I didn't want to deviate and be disappointed. I think I would have cried if I could not have eaten dinner tonight! In the future, I think I will try some whole wheat, wheat germ, and some natural sugar as a substitute.

Number 2

We're Pregnant!

7 weeks, 4 days.

We saw the baby yesterday and heard a very healthy heartbeat.

We are thrilled.

Praise God!

Hannah's going to be a big sister!

The Bargain Watcher

I told you that Orange Hill Baptist Church was having their big spring consignment sale this weekend March 5-8 (click the link to find out their times and address). Well, if you want to check out other AMAZINGLY GREAT consignment sales in the Metro Atlanta area just click www.thebargainwatcher.com to find them happening all over. Can you see my drool?

Another Soaked Oatmeal Recipe

What do you know? The Nourishing Gourmet posted her favorite soaked oatmeal recipe over at her blog today. What to see what she does? Click here. Want to see my favorite soaked recipe?

Kids Kingdom Consignment Sale Starts Today!

If you live in the ATL area, the Kids Kingdom Consignment Spring and Summer Sale Starts today and goes through Saturday. What is it?

"Kids Kingdom is a high quality, well organized children's consignment ministry featuring children and teen clothing, books and educational items, maternity, and much more. We offer brand name clothing from well known brands.... and have a reputation for allowing only quality, stain free items at a fraction of the original cost. Our sale is held semi-annually with up to 200 sellers. Kids Kingdom proceeds benefit ministries within the church and in our community as well as missions worldwide."

• Where: Orange Hill Baptist Church- 4293 Austell Road S.W. Austell, GA 30106
• Over 20,000 items
• Thursday March 5th 6-9 p.m.
• Friday March 6th 9 am-8 p.m.
• Saturday March 7th 9 am-12 p.m.

I will definitely be there tonight volunteering because volunteers get to shop early! And, FYI, most items go 1/2 price on Saturday. Come and shop!

Best Oatmeal You Will Ever Eat

Do you think oatmeal is boring? Looking to yummy it up a bit?

I have been eating Passionate Homemaking's Soaked Oatmeal recipe for weeks now and I am hooked. Here is her recipe (click her site, however, to see pictures and get more info) with some slight modifications as to exactly what I do to prepare it. Try it once and you'll never go back to regular, quick cooking, instant microwave oatmeal again.

Soaked Oatmeal

from Passionate Homemaking adapted by me

(this makes enough for Hannah and me in the mornings with one serving left over)

1 1/2 cups uncooked rolled oats--do NOT use the instant kind!
1 1/2 cups water (to just cover the oats - see picture)
1 Tbsp acid medium (I prefer kefir but yogurt works well too)
1/8 cup ground whole wheat flour
1-2 Tbsp ground almonds or other nuts, optional (I put this on last in my own personal bowl since I omit nuts because of Hannah's allergy)
3 Tbs. ground wheat germ

3 Tbs. ground flax seed

Coconut to look/taste

1. I soak it (all the ingredients above) in a quart size glass jar overnight at room temperature. But, your preferred storage method will work, too. Click here to read the benefits of soaking your grains. It's best to soak oats for 24 hours (and it tastes better too) but 12 hours works too if you are short on time or forgot to prepare it earlier in the day.

2. When you are ready to eat it, boil 1 1/4 cups of water. After boiling, add the oat mixture, turn down the heat, and stir until the right consistency for your taste. I keep it on the stove for about five minutes.

3. Spoon in your bowl some oatmeal then add:

• about a tsp. or two of REAL butter
• a small amount of milk (I use raw whole milk-it's delicious) and mix together
• then add almonds
• chopped apples
• and a small amount of raw honey for taste

4. Savor the goodness of taste and the fullness that you will feel in comparison to microwave oatmeal. You'll never go back.

I'd like to know what you think once you try it....

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy 60th Birthday to a GREAT Dad, my Dad!

I only wish I were there to celebrate with you!

I love you!

Want to know 26 things I love about my Dad? Click here.

*Picture taken in Rome, Italy, July 2008.

ATL Children's Museum

Daddy had a day off of work today so we went to the Children's Museum for some fun. Unfortunately, my camera died after only a few pictures! My camera is about toast and I think it is almost time for a new one (especially since I have been SO slacking on the picture taking because of it!)

We played in the Moon Sand-kind of weird substance-which was kind of like very fine sand or clay. This was a great station and we stayed here for quite some time.

At breakfast, Hannah put her shoes on all by herself. I told hubs that tap shoes would be so much fun for her to have. What do you know, they had some at the museum! She thought they were really cool!

There is an Amazing Castle exhibit going on right now (the whole museum except for the beginning was about the castle) and we watched a play about a boy helping out a dragon. This was Hannah's first play and she was really enthralled by it.

All in all we had a fun day. At one point, Michael had to leave to go and buy us some lunch (I thought they would have several lunch options for purchase) because they only sold Chick-fil-A which is made all in peanut oil (which Hannah is allergic to). Why would they only sell Chick-fil-A at a Children's museum with so many children being allergic to peanuts these days? I thought that was weird. We stayed through nap time to get our money's worth. Bonus: we saved $6 because of a military id. Sweet. However, if you were to buy season passes to somewhere, I'd pick the Aquarium by far over the Children's museum if you live in ATL.

Just the Girls

Sunday snuggles...

We were curling up trying to stay warm since it is SNOWING here today...

(what's up with that?! Seriously?!)