Summer 2013 by the Numbers

You may have noticed that it’s been a little quiet around here.

Here’s why . . .

Summer 2013 by the numbers:

Number of days spent away from home … 25+

Number of trips to the pool … 15+

Number of playdates … 15+

Number of books read to the kids … 100+

Number of long talks, shrieks of joy, huge grins, and hours spent surrounded by family and friends who might as well be family … too many to count!!

Number of fiction words written … 5,000

Number of blog posts written … 7

I’ve spent my summer trying very hard not to worry about writing. And in July I made the conscious decision to take the end of July and most of August off. It’s been both liberating and irritating. Liberating because it lightened a very fun-filled but hectic August schedule. Irritating because I kept thinking of things I wanted to write about!

Number of days before the boys start preschool … 7!

Now that we are down to a week before all three kids will be back in school, I’m flexing my blogging muscles and remembering how to work this into the schedule. (For those of you wondering, yes, I’m flexing my fiction muscles, too.)

I’m excited to share some of the things God’s been teaching me this summer.

Here’s to a new season of experiencing life Out of the Boat! I hope you’ll join me on the water.

Read More

Tired of Perfect Moms? Me, too.

I’ve had so many conversations with friends recently about how tired we are of perfect moms. You know who I’m talking about. If Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram are any judge, they never have anything go wrong. Their kids never drive them crazy or make a mess or say a bad word. Ever.

I try to be honest about my life—the good, the bad, and the ugly—here at Out of the Boat, but I leave a lot out. However, in the interest of full disclosure, I want to share with you a few of the things I did NOT blog about in the very crazy month of June.

I did not blog about the morning I was trying to be one of those supermoms who has an abnormally high tolerance for messes. The type who can watch their children soak through their clothing and everything in a twenty foot radius without breaking out in hives. I allowed my boys to play with their new water cannons on the back porch and when this deteriorated into the youngest stripping naked, I rolled with it.

I may have been feeling smug about how cool I was and how this was the kind of memory my children would take into adulthood. Until the morning air was pierced by a howl from James and I came around the corner just as a fresh pile of poop hit the deck, courtesy of the naked two-year-old. So, yeah. I decided not to blog about the next fifteen minutes. They weren’t my finest quarter hour. (Cannot tell you how relieved I was that there were NO witnesses).

Then there was the Sunday lunch debacle. The one where James asked for a cookie and I declined to purchase one. So a few minutes later when he was back asking if he could have some cookie, I not only said “No” but I gave him a lecture on repeatedly asking me for things. Unfortunately, I realized a few moments later that a sweet friend had been offering to share half of his cookie with James, and because James was trying to obedient, he had been asking for permission to have the cookie his friend was willing to share with him.

I felt like dirt. (Yes, there were witnesses).

Oh…there was also the afternoon I opened Drew’s door after his nap and discovered that he’d stripped out of his clothes (hmmm, there does seem to be a trend here) and peed through the crib slats into the floor. I seriously need to potty train that boy!

There’s more, but I think you get the idea!

How about you? Have you had some “not-so-perfect” moments you’d like to share? Come on. Spill it. What kind of craziness has been going on at your house? 

Read More

Summertime is Kicking My Rear!

Whoever ** said, “Summertime, and the living is easy” lied through his teeth.

I say, “Summertime is kicking my rear!”

Emma has school Monday - Thursday and gymnastics on Friday. Next week, James has T-ball camp from 10-12. We always have speech therapy on Thursdays. And we are slap in the middle of a two-week stretch of swim lessons.

Did I mention that in my quest to be a “fun” mom we’ve also been to the pool and had a couple of play dates?

Or that in my quest to be a “fit” mom I’ve been going to the gym? Today, I even managed to trip over my own two feet and crash on the sidewalk while trying to be a “runner” mom.

Every day is something different, which really pulls my pigtails.

I like routine. I like plans. I especially love it when a plan comes together. :-)

Tonight, I had a whole plan that involved a little blogging and a lot of fiction (writing, not reading).
Instead, we had a movie night. Me, the kids, and Boz Christmas. Hey, around here, we rock Christmas year round.

(Lest you start thinking I need a double halo because I’m so awesome, I should confess that my plan was for the KIDS to have a movie night. I was going to hit Play and run. The plan would have worked if Drew hadn’t slid his little hand in mind and dragged me—no, I did not go skipping with glee—back to the bonus room).

So, there will be this post and no fiction because I’m not capable of being a “decent” mom if I haven’t had enough sleep and I can’t seem to convince my children to all sleep in on the same day. Emma and James have been taking turns getting up between 6 and 6:30. (Drew sleeps until 9, which is why he’s my favorite. I’m kidding! Sorta).

You may be wondering what any of this has to do with, well, anything. I’m glad you asked!

I know—really—how insane summers can be. I get it. And I do NOT want you to be discouraged or intimidated about trying to work through a Bible study during the summer. (We are doing Gideon by Priscilla Shirer - you can read about it here!)

Will you fall behind? Probably. Does it matter? Nope.

If you want to join us, go get your book and get started. Don’t worry about whether you can keep up or not. We are hoping to have completed Weeks 1 & 2 by July 2nd. (If you’ve watched Beth Moore’s video you’ll realize we are going to be a week behind her. We are okay with that!)

I learned a long time ago that Bible studies are funny things. It’s not about how fast you work through them. It’s about the fact that you do. If it takes you twelve weeks to do a six week study, you may find that the lesson you cover in the 11th week is EXACTLY what you need when you need it.

If you have picked up your Gideon book, then please give us a shout in the comments. You don’t have to say how far along you are, just let us know you are along for the ride.

**Turns out it was George Gershwin. I hate to say anything disparaging about Gershwin, but I think he took some serious artistic license with the whole “summertime” concept. :-)

Read More

Commit to Staying Plugged In This Summer

My two-year-old learned a hard lesson this week.

The iPod doesn’t work unless it’s been charged.

He doesn’t care that it has a cracked screen or that the operating system is so old we can’t download new apps to it—he loves to push the buttons and find the pictures and listen to the music.

But yesterday, all he got was a blank screen. That thing was D.E.A.D.

Unfortunately, no matter how many times I placed the iPod on the charger and tried to explain, all he wanted was to play with his toy. So he’d yank it off the charger as soon as the silver apple appeared on the screen, and then wail in anguish when it promptly disappeared.

I couldn’t make him understand that I was more than willing for him to use the iPod but until it spent some time plugged into the power source….

It. Would. Not. Work.

I wonder if God does the same thing with us. I wonder if He continues to draw us to Him. To His Word. To His house. To His people. But we are so immature, we simply can’t get it through our heads that if we continue to play and live and work without plugging in to Him that…

It. Will. Not. Work.

We will falter. We will sin. We will drift.

This may come as a shock, but we are in a battle. Spiritual warfare is all around us. And here’s the simple truth.

Christians don’t get to take the summer off.

No matter how many days we plan to spend at the lake, or the beach, or the pool, spending some time plugged into the source of Power is the only way to get through the days ahead without our screens going blank and our effectiveness for the Kingdom disappearing.

We are either drawing closer to Him or we are pulling away from Him. There is no in between.

 

Disconnecting from June-August (or, let’s call it like it really is, from May-September) and expecting to still be growing in our faith is as ludicrous as Drew believing his little hand-me-down iPod will work without spending some time on the charger.

So here’s the challenge.

Stay in the Word. Keep moving toward Him. Don’t let September roll around and be so drained you have to take until Christmas to get your spiritual strength back to where it is now.

Commit to staying plugged in this summer.

 

My dear friend, Ginger, and I are going to be working through a study on Gideon by Priscilla Shirer. (You can read the blog post from Beth Moore about it here). If you’d like some accountability (because I’m not pretending this is easy!) we’d love for you to join us. Get the book, and be ready to start next Tuesday. I’ll be blogging about it as we go through the summer.

Read More

Currents :: Iced Coffee and Homemade Creamer

It's Summertime!

When summer rolls around, I start thinking of things like watermelon, chilled in a river. Or my mom's pasta salad. Or hamburgers sizzling on a charcoal grill. All key ingredients to a perfect summer cookout. Or just a regular summer day. I'm not picky.

This summer, I've added something new to my "It wouldn't be summer without..." list. Well, really, it's now on my "I need this every afternoon..." list.

Iced coffee ... complete with homemade creamer.

My sweet friend, Carla, shared her recipes and tips with me as we sat on a swing and watched our boys race around a playground. I couldn't have known when I sat there, typing her directions into the Notes section of my iPhone that I was already sliding down a slippery slope...

Because, as Carla says, this stuff will make you happy!

I'm hardly a food purist. I've consumed more than my fair share of random chemical goodness in my time. Even now, if someone showed up with a box of Sociables and a can of squeeze cheese...well, I wouldn't turn my nose up at them.

But, I do try to at least pay attention and, when possible, avoid random chemicals and craziness in my food. Especially food that I consume on a regular basis.

So when Carla told me that she'd modified The Pioneer Woman's iced coffee recipe AND that she made her own creamer to go with it...well...I was intrigued.

And by intrigued, I mean I went straight home and started whipping up my own batch.

Guess what...Carla was right! This stuff will put a smile on your face and it's way cheaper than swinging through the Starbucks drive thru.

Try it. And then get back here and tell me how much you loved it!

If you're local, come on by the house. I'll share.
Maybe.
No.
I will.
I promise!


Iced Coffee
If you want to make a ginormous batch, you need to go to The Pioneer Woman's site because she's got it all figured out. (And, her idea of putting sweetened condensed milk in her iced coffee...sweet mercy!)

However, if you'd like to make a little less, just find an ancient plastic half-gallon pitcher. You know, the kind you have tucked in the back of a cabinet somewhere. Put a cup of ground coffee in it and fill it up with water. Then let it sit on your counter overnight. Twenty-four hours. A day or two. Whatever. It's not an exact science. Then strain out the coffee grounds through some cheesecloth and put the remaining coffee in the fridge until chilled. It will keep for at least a week. Probably longer, but I wouldn't know because that's as long as mine has made it.

Now, when you want some, just pour it over ice. Voila! Iced coffee yumminess!

Of course, if you want that iced coffee to put a smile on your face, you'll need to add some creamer.

Here's Carla's version:

Homemade Creamer

1 cup of powdered milk
1 Tbs. of vanilla
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup of sweetener (you pick your sweetener of choice here and you can always adjust it by adding more or less to your personal taste - I've used sugar and coconut palm sugar. Both worked great. Carla uses Truvia. I'm planning to experiment with honey and maple syrup)
Blend it up.
Then blend in 2 cups of milk (skim, half & half, heavy cream)

This will make about 32 ounces. Pop it in your fridge and enjoy in your coffee. It's also A.MAZ.ING  over fresh strawberries or peaches.

I promise...you'll be smiling!

Thanks to Carla for sharing this with me and allowing me to share it here on Out of the Boat!

Read More

A Milestone, A Question, and A Review

Can you believe it's July? How did that happen?!

I hope you are in the midst of a fun and fabulous summer.

Here at Out of the Boat, I'm scaling back a little for July. I'll be posting once a week this month so I can spend some time focusing on my fiction writing (yeah, I'm still working on that!) and making plans for the future of Out of the Boat.

Believe it or not, today marks my 200th blog post! I love blogging far more than I ever imagined I would. Thanks to all of you who've jumped Out of the Boat and come on this crazy journey with me!

If you're a regular here, I would so appreciate it if you could take a moment and answer this question (either in the comments, on Facebook, or via email).

What would you like to see more (or less) of on Out of the Boat? Is there something I don't cover that you wish I would?

Currently, Monday posts are about Faith and/or Family. Thursday posts are about Writing and/or Reading.

Thanks!

And since it is the first Thursday of July, I'm over at The Write Conversation talking about Riveting Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson. I'd love it if you stopped by to say Hi!

Grace & peace!
Lynn

Read More

Summer Reading

I was the kind of kid who loved school. Loved it! I didn't want to see it end and couldn't wait for it to start again.

But, summer had one huge thing going for it.

Virtually unlimited reading time! And a steady supply of books thanks to a mom who took me to the library - a lot! (Thanks mom!)

Of course, the grown-up version of summer doesn't have quite the same amount of free time. But it just wouldn't feel like summer if I didn't have a crazy assortment of books ready and waiting.

I've always been an avid reader. While I have favorite genres and authors, depending on my mood I'll read anything (except horror and erotica). Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance, Suspense, Thriller, Biography, Women's Fiction, Chick-Lit, Political Thrillers, Memoirs, Non-Fiction, YA, Dystopian, Classics and any combination of the above!

So just for fun, I thought I'd share with you a few of the books on my summer reading list. Maybe you'll discover a few gems you've never heard of. And if you want to share your TBR (to-be-read) list in the comments, I'd love to see what worlds you are planning to explore over the next few weeks!

Non-Fiction

• Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. This baby has been in-progress for, um, a while. It's good. It's just not easy to toss in a diaper bag. I'm determined to finish it!
• Praying God's Word for Your Husband by Kathi Lipp. I'm writing a review of this one in the next week or so.
• Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Not a light read (a memoir of the deadliest season on Mt. Everest), but my husband really enjoyed this and it's been in my TBR stack for too long!

Fiction

• Hood by Stephen Lawhead. A retelling of the Robin Hood legend.
• Saint by Ted Dekker. Don't anyone pass out, but I haven't read anything by Ted Dekker. Ever.
• Intervention by Terri Blackstock. I love Terri Blackstock but haven't read anything of hers in a while. Can't wait!
• First the Dead by Tim Downs. Another author I've never read. But this book sounds so good!
• So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones. Because sometimes a good YA read is exactly what I need.
• Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Just for fun!

Have you read any of these books? Got a favorite author you want to share? Tell us in the comments!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Never miss a post! Subscribe by RSS feed or email!

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

Read More

Why You Should NOT Take A Break This Summer

A few weeks ago, I asked what you were planning to do to grow closer to God this summer. Remember? (If not, click here!)

I know that many of us participate in Bible studies during the school year, but we usually take the summer off. Which makes perfect sense. It’s hard to schedule group sessions around vacations and swim lessons.

What doesn’t make sense?

Taking the summer off.

We aren’t in first grade anymore. We’re supposed to be ever growing, ever learning, ever maturing.

Go ahead and take the summer off from scheduled, group study. But please don’t put your Bible and journal up on a shelf with plans to dig them back out in September.

We must remember that we are in a war. Our enemy doesn’t take summers off. For whole battalions to decide they aren’t going to fight for three months out of the year reveals a serious lack of spiritual maturity on the part of people who should be battle hardened warriors.

Make no mistake about it...if you aren't growing closer to God then you're moving away from Him. The enemy will gladly watch you drift and then he'll unleash every obstacle in his arsenal to be sure you never get as close as you once were.

Now that I’ve gotten all up in your business, let me share with you a resource you might want to consider. You could think of it as a summer refresher course.

Depending on where you are in your walk with the Lord, it might sound like a remedial class.

Trust me, it’s not.

A dear friend of mine (Lori Roeleveld of Deeper with Jesus in Rhode Island), threw out a call to take “The God Challenge” this summer by reading 40 Ways to Get Closer to God written by Jerry (Chip) MacGregor with Keri Wyatt Kent.

It sounded perfect. Maybe a little lighter than what I’d been planning, but hey, it’s summer.

Did I mention that this is not a remedial class?

Good.

It’s not that these challenges are hard. If you’ve been following God for any length of time, you may even read the challenge for that day and think, “Seriously? That’s it? I do that all the time.” I’ve had a few of those days.

To my surprise and embarrassment, when I attempt the challenge I often discover that I needed some work on that particular discipline after all. Consider me Gibbs slapped by God!

I’m not going to give it all away, but I started this in late May. It’s June 11th and I’m not even up to Day 10. I’m trying not to read or jump ahead until I have actually done, or at least planned when I will do, each activity. I'm taking my time because I don't want to just read a book about getting closer to God.

I want to actually get closer to God.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll share with you some of my adventures, what I’m learning, and what God is showing me about how amazing He is. If you’d like to jump in and join the fun, that would be fantastic. (Please send me a shout out in the comments!)

Whether you choose to join in on #TheGodChallenge (our Twitter hashtag) or not, please do something. Read the New Testament. Pray for each member of your family every day. Read the Psalms slowly (I did that last year - loved it!).

Your enemy is not taking the summer off. You shouldn’t either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



The Joy Dare continues...

3 Gifts Painted ~ Roses painted the perfect pink; baby faces painted in watermelon juice; smiles painted on the faces of friends reunited

Read More