Manna In A Jar: Brother and Sister

Posted on March 4, 2014 by mrs.mlb2004@yahoo.com

My brother, Johnny Crews Miller, was born when I was 2 1/2 right after Valentine’s Day. I don’t remember him being added to our family. I just felt like he always was. As we grew, I can remember laughing and fighting with him. He was my buddy. He gave me the name Sissy because what small child can say Mary Lindsey? (I love being ‘Aunt Sissy’ to his boys! Even though I wish I could see them more!!)

I usually dressed him up as a prince from Thumbelina and tried to teach him dances. He tried to get me to play basketball. I liked to play P-I-G or H-O-R-S-E with him.

Giant Tinkerbell and Peter Pan – Haha!!

I can also remember us getting into crazy fights. I even still have a scar where he gouged me with a ball point pen in my arm!! Brotherly love. Ha! But, we always made up. There were never any grudges.

I also remember he was the ‘puker’ of our family. I can remember waking up several times in the middle of the night to him throwing up. And this is where my fear of throwing up came from. (Although, I really believe I have overcome that fear!) I was constantly terrified I would catch it. His wife, Meghan, says that ‘puking gene’ was passed down to their boys!

Bless him. It happened so often that my mom took a picture! I remember Johnny on the couch like this a lot!

He has a laugh that is so contagious. When I hear it today, there is a familiarity, a comfort, a giggle that comes from my heart.

This is classic Johnny personality. So funny and always making us laugh!

In high school we took different paths. But, there was still a heart connection. There still is one today. He will always be my brother, and I know I will always be his Sissy. He is strong and loyal. A wonderful father and fight-for-his-family husband. He has a tough exterior, but a huge heart!

He served our country well for 4 years and was deployed twice. So proud of him. Thankful for his protection.

And, while this doesn’t happen all the time, I love it when we can still be goofballs as grown ups. This was just a couple of weeks ago.

The creator of the The Face.

I laugh and cringe at this picture! Oh. My. Word! I also do this face at my kids all the time when they are grouchy. They crack up every time!

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Then came our little sister, Nancy Elizabeth. I remember sitting on our front stairs when my mom and dad told me and Johnny they had some news – my mom would have a baby!! I was so so so so excited. I was 4 1/2 years old, and would soon be 5. From the second my parents told me, I prayed for a baby sister. I can remember kneeling beside my bed before going to sleep asking God to put a baby girl in my Mama’s tummy.

I remember getting a phone call from my dad – well my aunt received the call. And, my dad told her that I had a baby sister. I can remember feeling like, of course! I prayed and prayed for her!! My little heart was strengthened even then knowing God heard my prayers. My Dad would always tell us – you stay the best of friends!

We were smitten. And, I had a perm and was in full make up. Bahaha!

When I went to the hospital to meet her, though, I was happy to have a sister, but I was quickly disappointed at how enormous she was! Hahah! She was 10lbs 3oz, much bigger than the baby dolls I played with! But, I still ended up loving her.

Right after this picture was taken, Nancy fell off the photo table. I’m pretty sure my mom caught her. Ha!

I love everything about this picture. Hahahaha!!!

Nancy lived in her own lala land most of her childhood. She was very, very laid back and just took in the world around her. And Johnny and I picked on her like crazy. Makes me so sad to think about now. We love you, Nancy!!!

Aren’t they soo cute?! Also, we still have those Ninja Turtle sheets!

I don’t remember feeling close to Nancy when we were little, but all of that changed the summer of 1998. We both became Christians that summer- 5 days a part- at two different places. I was 16, she was 11. And that was when the sweetest, most precious friendship blossomed. We would read our Bibles and talk about what God was doing. We would pray for each other. And there was just a kindness and gentleness in our relationship that normally would not have taken place between a 16 year old high school girl and her ‘kid’ sister. I know we wouldn’t have the relationship we have today if it wasn’t for the life changing decision and growth that happened that summer.

Right around the age when we both became believers. 11 and 16.

Here we are last month, staying up waaaayyy too late, sipping some Natural Calm (we’ve become health nuts together, too), and sharing our hearts.

I am so thankful for my brother and sister and the childhood that we shared.

Last time we were all together – 2010. Um, guys, we need to do this again. Soon! (Pic taken from Nancy’s blog) :-)

My Favorite Things

Posted on February 26, 2014 by mrs.mlb2004@yahoo.com

I had a completely different post written for today, but I wasn’t quite done editing it. And, I just decided to go a different way. Yesterday was an exhausting day. Hearts invested in a specific prayer (emotionally draining). Tomato-staking (keeping a child ‘staked’ to your side) of some wild children (emotionally and physically draining). Meal prep, cleaning, school, errands, loving on people. It is all very taxing, but still very much needed.

What makes it more taxing is the lack of self-care for myself. Sure, I shower! I even was dressed before 8 am! But, I’ve been staying up way too late. I’ve been finding food whenever I can after I’ve fed everyone else. And exercise has been non-existent.

Yeah, this has got to stop. I’m working on some things to change this. I’m a member of this family, too! I need to treat myself like one, though! I needed to remind myself of the basics. Maybe you need a reminder, too?

First off, getting in bed early. An early bed time is such a gift to your body. Tonight, my goal is 9:30. Then, I can get up early without suffering. 5:30 AM wake up call to start the day in the Word!

Second, drinking water. Not hard. I just need to remember to do it! Fake hunger and feeling tired can be wiped out by staying hydrated! Filling up my water bottles at night to have them ready to go in the AM is a key to success!

Source Here

Third, exercise. I was doing amazing in October- December when I was running. Then, I got the flu. (in December!! It’s almost March, people!) I tried to run twice after the flu, and it was so hard. I haven’t been back out to try. Anybody up for beginning to run with me again? I will post my training schedule here next week! Maybe we can do a ‘virtual’ 10K! Who’s interested?!

Fourth, meal plans for mama. This is definitely going to get started again. I do not want to eat to lose weight (okay, well maybe a little bit). But, honestly, I want to eat to feel energetic. I want to eat to feel alive, not like I want to nap all the time because of the amount of sugar I am eating. So, it’s changing!

These are simple things, basic things, but some of my favorite things. How do you take care of you?!

Feast For Your Soul: Plan and Read

Posted on February 24, 2014 by mrs.mlb2004@yahoo.com

Winner from the Emily Ley Planner Giveaway is Tammy!!!

“I hope I win. I need better organization in my life.
I am excited to start reading your blog and learning from you!” – Tammy Email me at marylindsey@hopefilledhome.com

So, if you aren’t Tammy, you may be a little bummed that you didn’t win. But, keep reading! There is so much more for you in this post!!

If you could see me, I am grinning from ear to ear, shaking my fists beside my face, and squealing because this is my favorite part of my blog!!!

Know why? Because this is where YOUR life gets to be changed.

I’m just the little ol’ tour guide. But, I hope to guide you straight to the presence of my Heavenly Father.

I want to teach you how to be able to study the Bible on your own.

I hope to give you a solid outline over the next few months that you can continually come back to as you walk with God. These beginning steps may seem so very simple. But, don’t skip them. They are crucial.

Some steps, I’m going to ask you to put forth a little more effort. But all of it will be completely doable.

So, the first step, is to make a plan. Choose what you want to study. I am currently going through 1 John with my group of girls, so I will use this as my example as we keep on walking together. Some other shorter books to study in depth include: James, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Peter, & 11 Timothy. They all have 4-6 chapters.

Second step is to buy a notebook just for this study. I personally like a spiral bound, college lined notebook. I had a little cutesy notebook when I first started and ran out of room writing in it! I filled up the pages fast! And, get a favorite pen, too. These are my absolute favorites!

The third step is to begin reading. I want you to read your passage of scripture/book of the Bible in at least 3 different versions of the Bible. Some of my favorite versions are

NASB (New American Standard Bible- closest English version to the original Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek),
NLT (New Living Translation – more contemporary language),
NIV – New International Version (the version I grew up on),
Amplified Bible (some words are expounded upon in parenthesis all through out, giving you a better grasp on what you are reading.

You pick the translation of the Bible. This step is to give you a broad view of what you are studying. You want to be able to understand what you are reading and notice slight differences. Highlight verses that stand out to you. You are just getting yourself used to the scripture. It is very easy to find different versions of the Bible on You Version (app for your iphone/ipad). There are also choices at Biblegateway.org or Biblehub.com.

If you have never had time with God, or have never carved out time to seek Him, it is not too late. Begin now. I usually like to do this first thing in the morning. I feel like I’m giving Him my day when I do that. When I was in high school, though, my time with God was at night before I went to bed.

I begin my time with Him in quiet prayer. I usually get on my knees with my face on the ground. This isn’t a have to. You can pray anywhere! But, if you haven’t ever gotten on your knees before God in prayer, I would highly recommend getting in this position to pray. It just brings your complete attention before Him and humbles you.

Then, I get in my chair or on the couch and begin my Bible reading. I use this little guide of symbols to write in my Bible. One of my precious Bible teachers, Karla, gave me this guide to help us understand and pull out what is being said in scripture:

highlight/ underline verses that speak to me
—–> God gives instructions
! Belief
~~Unbelief~~
? doubt, fear, questioning
O = obedience
R = remember (for generations to come)

I have this printed out and taped to the inside of my Bible to remind me of what to look for when I’m reading. But, let me add, the first time you read, just read. Let the words just wash over you and get the big picture of what is being said. Then go back and look deeper.

After I read, I usually record one or two verses in my journal. Then, I journal what I believe God is speaking to me. At first it feels funny and you may doubt God speaking to you, but you will be surprised at how it is confirmed! When God speaks it will always line up with the Bible, and it is amazing how it will be confirmed in your life. Trust Him. He wants to speak to you.

Okay, loves, get to reading and writing!

If you want to dive in, what will you be studying? Tell me in the comments!

Family Wellness: Feeding Picky Eater Tips

Posted on February 21, 2014 by mrs.mlb2004@yahoo.com

Looking for the Emily Ley Planner giveaway? Head on over to the Welcome and Planner Give Away Post.

When the triplets were little they would throw handfuls of food on the floor because they refused to eat it! I still refuse to serve rice after one incident of 3 platefuls of sticky rice on the floor! Have you ever tried to clean up sticky rice. Oy!

I was so overwhelmed when I would feed them a meal! I gave into their fight all the time (what?! they ganged up on me! ) Of course I knew what was good for them, but I also was bone tired. And I just wanted to sleep at night- for crying out loud!

I realize they don’t look very picky here. But, I think I took the picture because they actually LIKED something!! haha!

So, I fed them what I knew they would eat, so they wouldn’t wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Tough thing is once you get in this cycle where you feed them what they demand, it is hard to stop it. Instead of parenting them and choosing good choices, I let them dictate meal time.

But here is what I want you to know. I did not do this from a place of defeat. I did it more from a place of survival. I knew I was choosing this choice at the time. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. Not perfect, but not bad.

And I told myself I was going to change what my kids ate when they could understand better. And, I did follow through. If I could help you avoid some of that crazy toddler pickyness, I would love to! If you are in the middle of pickyeaterville, know you CAN change where you are, eventually! But, also just embrace where you are. I was waiting for them to be at the age of understanding that what mama asks of them, they need to obey. And even meal time can be a place of obedience. (Um, that sentence just spoke to MY heart!) That, for us, happened some where between 2 1/2 – 3.

I remember being very excited on this trip because they were eating very well!!! I felt like it was a turning point!

Let me add, some picky eating is the child’s temperament, but some is the parent. (I totally own up to that!) Most kids go through picky stages, and dealing with one picky eater is difficult. Food is one of the things children do have control over. And boy is it frustrating when they start using that control!!

Some things we did to help with the picky eater phase:

I put what I made for dinner on their plate even if I knew they wouldn’t eat it. Once they were past the flying fistfuls of food stage (aka they *know* better), they had to try at least one bite. I did have Warner throw up on me one time when I made him eat peas, but I kept at it. Not at that meal, but the next time peas were served, I said, “Let’s try again!” (I totally faked my excitement and prayed he wouldn’t barf on me again!!) We started with two bites at one meal and I rejoiced over that. The next meal was also 2 bites. Then we worked up to 3. It must have worked! He now eats peas amazingly well. Maverick has had a 2 year battle with raw carrots. He ate 3 the other night at dinner!
We also played this gift-from-heaven game called “whooooo’s the sharky?!’ I told them sharks had sharp teeth and would chomp their food up really well! Then I would say “whooo’s the sharky’ about 75 times in all sorts of voices at every meal before offering a bite. They would pretend they were a shark and chomp! chomp! chomp! it up! This was once they were about 2 1/2 years old.
This may be a little unconventional but I was determined for them to get better food into them! I would spoon feed it to them. Some how by me asking, ‘Do you want mama to help you?’ softened their little hearts. Even when they could do it themselves. It broke down their power of ‘3’, as well. (example: Crews says, I don’t like it!! And the other two refusing to even try it!) I sometimes still spoon feed my children. Especially my picky eaters! I know the goal is independence, and sometimes I loathe shoveling a bite of food into a perfectly capable 4 1/2 year olds’ mouth, but it gets the job done (healthy food in their tummies). And I can see my work paying off as they feed themselves most of the time now!
Added this in a little later: Finally, we set a timer! If, we have a pokey eater or terrible complainer, I put the timer on for 10 minutes and say whatever you get finished in this reasonable amount of time, is all you get for this meal. Usually, it only takes one time for them to not finish their food and to be hungry. Then, they get the job done. Mean? Maybe for an evening, but like I said, I know they have been nourished through out the day. I’m going for the over all picture of having them eat well. This worked for us!

Fun game – drew little pictures of the food they had on one side of the paper, and then wrote the number of bites they had to take on the other side. Still some hemming and hawing, but over all a lot better!

What I did with Haven:

I didn’t feed her rice cereal as a first food! Shocker! I nursed her with out any added food until about 7 months. Then I offered her teeny tiny bites of food, starting at about 6 months while she was sitting in her high chair. Started with avocado and soft, cooked veggies, & eggs. I think this is called baby-led weaning. I just thought one day that people did not always have baby food! I did not need to be so dependent on that stuff. Let me add, I never would have been brave enough to do this with my first child. I was certain I would break my child if I did not go by the parenting books I read. Or by what my doctor said. She didn’t break!
I also gave her some of the baby food pouches (Elle’s Kitchen- found at Target) starting at 7 months. I let her do a lot of self feeding, and she has never used this as defiance against me. I spoon fed Harper and the boys until… um, I still sometimes spoon feed them!
She sat in her high chair at meals with us and watched us eat. With the boys, we fed them first, and then we ate either before or after we fed them. They did not get to see us eat! We were in survival mode! Now I see the importance of them learning to trust what food is good by watching us!
She only ate baby food for about a month before being on all soft table food. Of course, the main nutrition was coming from nursing, so I wasn’t worried.
I did not limit what I let her try. If I had a bite, I would feed her a bite.
She LOVES all food & the more ‘savory’ it is, the more she says ‘yum! I yike it!!’

Case in point. Haven eating vegetable soup. The big 4, would act like I was poisoning them because everything is mixed together with red sauce. :-)

One more thing, to help have a more successful dinner, I try not to feed my kids 2-2 & 1/2 hours before dinner. I know they have had nutrients from breakfast, lunch, & snacks even when they begin to beg for food an hour before dinner. Hunger isn’t a bad thing. It is a good thing showing health. Also, I have learned that when they ask for food, most of the time they are bored, not hungry.

Hope this helps bring a little peace to your home at meal time!

Manna In A Jar : Childhood : A Little Family History

Posted on February 19, 2014 by mrs.mlb2004@yahoo.com

A few orders of business, first.

1. If you are looking for the post about the give away, please go comment on the Welcome and Giveaway post. It will help my head from exploding when finalizing the giveaway.

2. I plan on posting Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I need boundaries for my family to thrive, or otherwise they will lose mama to blog-la-la-land. I will do my best to stick to this schedule, but probably won’t be perfect.

3. This post is long. I hope for my posts to be short and to the point. But, this is history, and this is for my children one day. There is a lot of ground to cover in this portion of my life, and I wanted to keep it all in one post.

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

I have wanted to write my story for years. I want my children to have it. I want to recount God’s faithfulness – not just in one circumstance, but over my lifetime. I want this to be my ‘jar of manna’ (Exodus 16:33) ‘Moses told Aaron, “Take a container and put two quarts of manna in it. Then place it before the LORD to be preserved throughout your generations.”

This is my story of His faithfulness. I invite you to read along to glimpse into my life. Sometimes, there has been so much pain in life, it is hard to see the good. I hope that by me writing through the good and the bad that you will see God’s hand, and maybe realize how He has been faithful to you, too. I would encourage you to record His faithfulness in your life. Yes, there will be some painful parts. No, there will be no way to cover it all. But, I do believe we will be able to see Him when we are done. Let me know if you decide to take this on, but let me say, it is not for the faint.

This is my Manna In A Jar.

My Mom carried me a week past my due date.

Debbie at her surprise baby shower

I was born on a Monday morning in October (1981), and only because my mom drank castor oil the night before, which, sent her into labor. Well, that and it was God’s appointed time for me, but, He used the castor oil – amen?! However, I was breech, so I was delivered by cesarean. I was 9 pounds 11 ounces. I was fed formula and my mom did not think twice about it.

Bump pic circa 1981!

I was born to Paul and Debbie Miller. An amazing couple who built an incredibly successful business together. They had both retired from their jobs, moved into their dream home, and were traveling the world when they welcomed me.

Paul and Debbie Miller – 1979

I learned once I was a bit older that my mom had heart-brokenly miscarried a few months before she found out she was expecting me. I think it is fascinating and heavy and crazy to think if that baby had been born, I never would have been.

But, here I am!!

apple of his eye

My mom and dad were both raised in different tiny towns in North Carolina. They had humble beginnings, and incredibly hard working parents. My dad came from a family of 6 (4 children), my mom from a family of 7 (5 children). I knew my dad’s side of the family while growing up, but wish I had gotten to *know* them more. But, I still have time!

I do know that my Grandfather, Hall, worked for Dupont. He was faithful and trust worthy. MeMaw, Mary (I was named after her), passed away when I was five. They had 4 children very close together. I just feel a kindred heart to her, knowing that she has walked this path before me.

Memaw would have us pull surprises out of a bag that were attached to strings.

My mom later told me she can remember visiting my grandparents when my mom and dad were just dating. She said my grandparents would be working out in the yard during the hot summer. Then, they would come inside and brew coffee and drink it together. That just makes me smile. I know where my love of coffee came from!

Hall (Grandaddy) and Mary (MeMaw) Miller

My Dad is top right, holding my brother, Johnny. Buster, his brother is kneeling. I’m in the Minnie Mouse dress. MeMaw is standing in the center. My Aunts are standing to her right (your left). Ann (long hair), Margaret (short hair). Grandaddy behind Margaret. The rest are my cousins and uncles. :-)

My dad has an older brother, Buster , older sister, Margaret, and a younger sister, Anne. I love that my dad still has friendships with each of his siblings. He and Buster get together several times through the year.

My aunt Margaret is a minister. She has also been fighting cancer like crazy (and kicking its tail) the past few years.

My aunt Anne (known as Annie Pie) is a lactation consultant and has been such a help to me as I have nursed my children over the years. I would love to know this heritage of mine even more.

So thankful that I was able to meet my great-grandmother, Mimi.

Great Grandmother Florence Crews, Grandaddy’s mother (side note::I had a perm! And bless my teeth)

Since I was the first baby born on my mama’s side of the family, all of her brothers and sisters pretty much claimed me as their own.

top left – Bill, top right – Jean, bottom right – Jack (scary look there!), bottom left- Susan

I have wonderful memories of my uncles and aunts.

My Aunt Susan was and is the best story teller. She has some crazy life adventures (running onto an airplane runway to stop an airplane, crawling through tunnels at her college, swimming in the pond, etc). She is fascinating! I remember driving in her car- her dashboard covered in post-it notes, begging her to tell me a new story that I haven’t heard about her life. We were stuck in a snow storm in NC together when I was about 7 years old. She woke me up at 6 am one morning to go sledding. To this day, we still call each other when it snows and talk about that weekend!

Aunt Susan taught me how to swim & is also going to teach my kiddos how to swim this summer!

Aunt Nean (Jean) kept me from the time I was itty bitty. She traveled with my parents and would be my babysitter when I was a baby. I actually went on dates with her and my uncle (Steve) when they first met and were dating. She had the coziest house – still does. Her bed is the most comfortable in the entire world- mix matched sheets, tons of squishy pillows, an old fan blowing on the bed- I am ready to go to sleep right now. And when we get together, we laugh until we cry usually within the first hour of being together. She always helps me paint or do some sort of craft when she comes to visit.

Aunt Nean & me (Uncle Steve, her hubby is in the background)

Both of my aunts were (and still are) so much fun. They would build these amazing Barbie house complexes out of encyclopedias and shoe boxes and then would sit and play with me for what felt like hours (even though it probably was only 5 minutes). I never felt that life was rushed when I was with them.

My uncles are identical twins and two of the funniest human beans (they would totally call themselves beans instead of beings) that I know. They were 22ish (?) when I was born. Laughter is the word I think of when I think of them.

Look at these two. They are hambones for sure! They are very stable, family men. But when around each other, this side (the jokester, not money bags/cigar smokers) emerges! Haha!

My grandparents lived on a golf course, so my uncles would come in from playing golf smelling like sweat and beer. Today, that is still one of my favorite scents. They would play a game with me and all of my siblings and cousins that they named ‘travel along.’ We would ride on their backs, like they were horsies, and they would sing this ridiculous made-up song called ‘travel along’ while we rode all over the living room laughing our heads off.

And then there are my precious maternal grandparents. I have such sweet memories of them. Mama Dot was hilarious. She loved people and loved to make people laugh. She never liked for things to get too serious. And we all loved her for it. The best was when she sang the song,’ I lost my poor kitty…’ very loud and very off key. She lived the longest of all my grandparents, and passed away just a few months before I found out I was expecting Harper. I really miss her, and I know she would have been tickled to know she had triplet great-grandsons! I, too, feel connected to her knowing she went through multiple boys, too!

Doris Nance (Mama Dot)

My sweet Papa (said PawPaw), was such an honorable man. He was a doctor, fought in World War II and he cared deeply about people and animals. He graduated from Wake Forest and Bowman Grey Medical School as Valedictorian. He could have gone anywhere in the country to be a doctor, yet chose a small town in North Carolina so he could truly take care of people and not be a big name. He loved the outdoors. He cut off all the ‘alligators’ on his Izod shirts so that he would not be separated by name brands from his patients. When he was younger, he had some cancer on his vocal cords, so as long as I knew him, his voice was raspy and he barely spoke above a whisper. And he wore plaid shirts, a watch with a stretchy band, and a pocket protector.

Dr. John Nance (Papa – said Paw Paw)

His mother, Bessie Boone, loved the Lord dearly. My mom has so many memories of her telling Bible stories and fervently praying. I am so thankful for this picture. I am the only great grandchild that she was able to meet. I know she prayed for me and for me to know Jesus one day. And I cannot wait to meet her again one day and thank her for her prayers!

Bessie Boone (Grandma Nance) Great Grandmother

Even though my parents traveled a lot, I always felt very, very loved. I knew I had many people that I could trust and many people that loved me. I am thankful that was never violated. And I do not want to take those gifts lightly. I wish that it could have always stayed this peaceful and loving with out heart break, pain, divorce, and death. But, even though those things entered along the way, God remained the same. He didn’t cause these things to happen. He wept with our family as we walked through life. He comforted and lead us, even in the very dim light.

Family is the beginning of my story.

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