Today's Coffee: Gingerbread

Things are hustling and bustling here in the Russell household. December is a very busy month for us; between church, recitals for our private students, weddings, Lessons and Carols, Christmas at Covenant, and Christmas itself - we are busy. 

We went and cut down our Christmas tree last weekend. It's the top 8.5 feet of a pine tree. So, it doesn't exactly 'look' like a typical tree. 

Wilson has on short sleeves because it was 70 degrees when we bought our tree!

So, as you can see - it's pretty different! But we love it!

We spent Thanksgiving in Greenville with our families - what a blessing for us to be able to be with our families! Of course, Brick Street had one of it's most successful years in the bakery. Sweet Potato Cake is a huge hit in the Upstate!

It was packed with cakes (hundreds and hundreds of them!) on Wednesday night - waiting to be iced with that amazing homemade cream cheese frosting!

And then, we had to get a family picture with the Russells doing the infamous 'Earmuffs' 

It's important to note: Wilson's not making the earmuffs - so the rest of us look......crazy. :)

Wilson is doing really well. He can sign 'please' , 'thank you' , and 'more' now. Pretty much only in relation to food though. 

Our Feast Group at church is reading through Mere Christianity together and Thomas and I have been loving it. Since this month is so insane for us, we found that we weren't really in control of anything. And we tried to fix our stress and general discontentment with: cleaning our car... or getting the budget back in order. But what was really good about the chapters we read in MC was that we were making our contentment/peace about ourselves. We weren't making our WHOLE lives about Christ anymore, but rather, what was going to make us feel better at the moment. It was incredibly eye-opening to realize that. We were trying to fix the main problem by treating only the symptoms and not face the reality. While keeping a clean car and balanced finances are good, we were trying to find our joy in them; not Christ. By God's grace we were brought to our knees with this realization, but the Lord didn't stop there. He convicted us of how much of our lives we were living out for appearance-sake and our selfishness. It was tough. But, then I recalled a verse we had been memorizing together:

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, 

to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, to God, holy and acceptable, 

which is your spiritual worship.

 Do not be conformed to this world, 

but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,

 that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, 

what is good and acceptable and perfect." 

Romans 12.1-2

So, this December, we are praying and striving to be different. Different from what this world wants us to be. Different from what culture tells us we should be. We are praying that our lives would seek God first and only. We are not perfect, and we will fail - but God has redeemed us to further His kingdom. It's going to be tough, especially in December - but we are always on the battlefield, no matter the month. I would ask that you pray for both Thomas and I. As musicians (and parents to our amazing little man!) we are already tired and December has just begun. 

We look forward to seeing our families and friends in January!

In Christ,

Julie

And one last picture of Wilson (whose favorite song right now is Gangnam Style). He's not allowed to watch the music video - he just enjoys dancing to it. :)

Today's Coffee: Too many cups of regular (and a peppermint mocha later)

Thankfulness. 

We have been bombarded this time of year with this word. Everyone starts listing what they are thankful for on facebook for each day in November. And, we are thankful. I believe that when we truly start to think about everything, we are thankful. But, I'm also personally convicted that we aren't thankful enough. We aren't thankful for the fact that we are given new days and things, let alone our salvation. As someone who admits that I haven't been thankful enough, it's still hard to come right out and announce it in a blog. 

So, along with all my friends who have been announcing what they are thankful are for, I'm going to write a little bit here. 

The Covenant

God made a covenant saying that He would send one to save us. It's hard for us to understand (fully) what a true covenant is - since we have not ever kept a promise and will not ever understand what that means here on earth. But, He did it. What a peace that comes from knowing that we will not be forsaken. 

Family

Thomas and I have both been blessed with amazing families (and we've started a pretty great little family ourselves!). We have parents that love us - and in-laws that love us. Brothers and sisters that make everything a little bit more exciting. Quirkiness and eccentricities that I'm fairly certain other families can't hold a match to. Wonderful grandparents that have graduated to great grandparents for our little one. Aunts and uncles that make us laugh. And of course, our little man - Wilson. I can't say enough of how much more I understand 'love' now that I'm a momma. 

Thomas

The rock of our relationship and foundation, is Christ. Thomas always has been able to bring us back to Christ when things get tough or stressful. He loves the Lord and has made sure that our marriage shows that loves. He loves me. What else can I say?

Friends

Wow. Some of the most important people in my life. I've moved a lot in my life, and the girls that I surround myself with have all played a huge part in making myself feel at home. Special people, all my friends. 

Basically, I have so much to be thankful for. I look back over this list and realize that these aren't little things, these are massive things. These are things that I need to wake up everyday and thank the Lord for. While I'm convicted that I'm not thankful enough, I'm also convicted that I don't always live as someone with a lot to be thankful for. These are things I will be praying for and about. 

Happy Thanksgiving,

Julie

Today's Coffee: Breakfast Blend

Well, we've been living in Nashville now for almost a year. Wilson is almost 18 months. I'm almost 25 years old. We are coming up on some big milestones in our household. Things are changing for us (in a good way!). 

Where to even begin, right? I'll start with recently. 

Last night I made a pretty great Blueberry-Lemon Sweet Iced Tea. All I did was boil a cup of frozen blueberries, 3/4 cup lemon juice and 1 cup of water. I brewed 15 tea bags (making a gallon of tea), stirred it all together, squeezed out the blueberry juice, and VOILA! It was very tasty. 

Thomas and I are also currently pulling back and truly budgeting. We've been listening to the Dave Ramsey show (based here out of Nashville) and we also own a couple of his books. So, we've started on a journey. One big thing we've changed about our lifestyle is we have cut our restaurants. We would look through our budget and be amazed at how often we stopped for coffee, or pizza, or a dinner on-the-go because we didn't plan in advance for a busy day. We were shocked at how much money we were spending. So, we've done away. Now, the occasional birthday or anniversary dinner is fine, but I'm a great cook (if I do say so myself) and I can make a great meal - for much cheaper than we can order it. We've also stopped the random spending. You know what I'm talking about, you are in Target or Old Navy and you see a deal. And it looks good on you. And you want it. And, it only totals $16. So, what's the harm? Well, for us anyways, I didn't really need it in the first place. So, instead of wandering through stores looking for deals, we now have a list of things we need and things we want. Then we save up for them, and then we buy them. Now, we weren't crazy spenders in the first place, but what we've discovered is that we can afford a house much sooner if we stop spending randomly. So, that's our plan. I would like to buy a house one day (soon???) and I don't want to be in debt for the next 30 years because of it. :)

We went on vacation to Kiawah Island with the Russell family. Wow. So. Much. Fun. Wilson was having a blast the whole week. And, he has no fear. He would just head straight for the water and never look back. Thomas and I purchased a wagon for the trip to take Wilson and our beach gear on the walk to the beach. He loves it. Even still, he loves it. We made place-mats that were given to us, and we have them on our table now. It's a great way to bring up fun memories from the beach and also talk to Wilson about how great it was. Here are some pics:

 

So, I'm going to be 25 soon. Wow. Have I really been alive almost a quarter of a century? Crazy. My friend Alyssa and I are throwing a joint birthday shindig. Plans are still coming together, but we are going with a sort of hipster-esque/moustache/dessert and wine/southern chic theme. I really like our invitations:

The last 2 weeks, another friend, Hailee and I led a summer music camp at The Covenant School. Each morning, Thomas would dress up as a historical figure and tell the students a bit about the people and history back then. The first day he was Brother Tomas:

 

The second day, he was Thomasello Vivaldi (brother of Antonio), the third day - Thomadeus Mozart (cousin of Wolfgang Amadeus), the fourth day - Thomas Schumann (brother of Robert) and the last day - Thomas Williams (brother of John). Needless to say, we had a lot of fun!

 

Well, that's our family. Having fun and learning a lot. Hoping you are all well - thank you for the patience of me and this blog writing. :)

In Christ,

Frugal Momma

Today's Coffee: French Roast with Espresso

Another post because I have some really cute pictures! This week is crazy for Thomas, Faith and me. Yesterday, Thomas and I played a concert for the Widow's Garden Spring Party. It was held in a gorgeous house and it was just incredible. We played a Corelli sonata - actually the same one I am learning on Baroque violin with my teacher, some of our hymn arrangements as well as other arranged hymns and Kreisler's Praeludium and Allegro. It was a lot of fun!

The gorgeous house!

The room we gave the recital in

The nursery where a lovely friend watched Wilson for us

After that happened in the afternoon, we rushed over to the Covenant School and taught a few private lessons then grabbed a fast dinner because at 6:30 pm we had our students in then Enrichment Academy at The Covenant School give their studio recital. I still get so nervous for my students! And then, Wednesday evening at church is the children's musical. As Children's Choir Coordinator at church I have a full plate today to get prepared for all of that! And Faith has all her final exams this week! Eek! We are pretty much coffee drinking machines for the next few days. 

Wilson is doing better. I've moved him over to almond milk and am currently talking to a friend at church that drinks real milk (for Greenville folks, think Happy Cow). So, hopefully we will see if this is a pasteurization thing or whatnot. 

Wilson doing 'earmuffs' - he thinks this is HILARIOUS!

As I was reading my Bible this morning I came across a verse that really resonated with me.

Now there is a great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. - I Timothy 6:6-8

I was convicted of how often I'm discontent with where I am. It's easy for me to desire (and by desire I mean covet) the feeling of settled security (aka - a house that we own). This is something that's hard for me at times. Among other things, but as a momma with a young child, I do want a backyard and a driveway that just ours and no neighbors that we share a wall with that play super loud music. But, when I'm thinking about that - I'm ignoring other BIGGER things. I'm saved. I have a beautiful sweet child (who is crying at this particular moment, but amazing nonetheless). I have a husband that nurtures and leads and loves our family with a love built on Christ. I have food. I have clothing. So what that we don't own a house? I mean really! The Lord has placed us here to glorify Him and to edify others in our friendship and music. So here I am. A sinner that deals with discontentment. Pray for me friends, but pray that we will strive harder to spread God's goodness rather than pray that we buy a house sooner. Because in the end, I can't take a house to heaven - why would I want to? I will however have to face the throne for all my thoughts and deeds. So, next time you find yourself discontent - let's fight this battle together. 

In Christ's Love,

Julie

Wilson playing with his two favorite things. Piano and train.

 

Today's Coffee: French Roast

It has been so long. Wow... it's amazing how busy you get and blogging is just not on your radar. Well, I'm here now. Wilson is just now waking up from his nap so he's pretty grumpy. He's also grumpy because he hasn't been feeling well lately. It started off as a slight ear infection (we went over 13 months before he got one!!!!!) and a bit of croup and just recently we took him back to the doctor office because the coughing attacks after he would eat and the constant coughing all day accompanied by a fever was enough for us to realize that he wasn't getting better. After a less than pleasant visit to our doc (we had to see a different doctor as ours wasn't working that day) she sent us off to the hospital for x-rays. After a long time waiting, and 2 x-rays later we find that they didn't see anything - the same thing the doctor told us at the office (that she couldn't hear anything blocking his lungs or anything) - so why the x-rays? We've mentioned milk allergies or lactose intolerance every time we've been to the doctor - but since he wasn't throwing up they always dismissed it. I was pretty frustrated as I know the bills are going to be pretty big so I sent Thomas to the store for some soy milk. Well, wouldn't you know it? The $2.35 option. He still is coughing, but now it just sounds like he has a cold. He isn't having these aggravated/gagging/15minute cough sessions after every bottle now. So, do I know if he's allergic? Not yet, but man o man, am I glad we switched to soy. Any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated at this point as our insurance doesn't pay for anything extra - if you've had experience with something like this, please email me or let me know how you dealt with it. He doesn't throw up after milk/formula/nursing but he does have very wet/mucus-y coughing sessions. And that has pretty much disappeared with the soy milk. He may cough 3 times, but he's also sick with something right now. 

In other news, he's started walking. He can now take 8-10 steps before crashing. And he really wants to be walking everywhere and he tries to go super fast (and then he falls). He also loves to do 'earmuffs' - where he covers both ears with his hands. He laughs and laughs and laughs the whole time. 

We have a busy couple of weeks ahead of us. Thomas and I are playing a recital for the Widow's Garden Party on Monday, our students have their recital Monday night, the Children's Choirs are performing their musical on Wednesday night and we are preparing and rehearsing for the Festival of Hymns on May 20. Thomas is super busy with the interim position and even busier as he continues to practice organ daily. We were given a book by a friend of hymn texts (most of which have never been set to a tune). The book is awesome because it's from 1844. 

So that night that we got it, I sat down at the piano and plunked out a hymn and harmonized it. I couldn't believe what I had just done! I'm in the process of getting it written into Sibelius but this is the inspired text:

How sad our state by nature it!

Our sin how deep it stains!

And Satan binds our captive minds,

Fast in his slavish chains.

But there's a voice of sov'reign grace,

Sounds from the sacred word:

"Ho! ye despairing sinner, come

And trust upon the Lord."

My soul obeys th'Almighty call,

And runs to this relief;

I would believe thy promise, Lord;

O help my unbelief.

To the dear fountain of thy blood,

Incarnate God, I fly!

Here let me wash my spotted son;

From crimes of deepest die.

A guilty, weak, and helpless worm,

On thy kind arms I fall;

Be thou my strength and righteousness,

My Jesus, and my all.

       - Isaac Watts 

Well, I must be going! Love to you all!

In Christ's Love,

Julie

Frugal Momma Loves Easy (and Tasty) Desserts...

Dessert is a huge part of my life. For years I would end each day with a bowl of ice cream. I cannot express how much I love ice cream. Mainly Moose Tracks flavor... but recently we've discovered a Salted Caramel Truffle flavor at Kroger. YUM. But, the sad thing is: eating a heaping (heaping as in: at least 3 scoops, chocolate sauce, and various toppings) isn't the best thing for you. Especially when you aren't working out or being active enough to burn off the extra 540 calories. So, with our new gym routine - super intense gym routine - one great way to help stay fit is to limit dessert to once a week. Uhm, hardest thing ever. I've accomplished it only once in the past month. (There is just something about ice cream, am I right?) Faith is really good about it though and we've had many conversations about small things we can do to improve our lifestyle. So, I try to do this one dessert a week thing. We've chosen Sunday to be our splurge day - also we get caught up on Parks and Recreation on Sunday as well. This way, we can plan all week about what we want our dessert to be and look forward to eating it, but we aren't stuffing ourselves every night. Now, I'm the type of person that when I set out to do something, I'm serious about it. I don't want to fail at it - and with Faith here with us, it's much easier with a buddy. Now, onto the dessert - S'mores. One Sunday we didn't shop for dessert ingredients and sadly... I had very few in the house - but I remembered a recipe I saw online. S'mores. 

Instead of graham crackers, Hershey's bars and big marshmallows, I used crescent dinner rolls, little marshmallows and chocolate chips.

I also threw in some butterscotch chips on a couple.

Here's the whole tray of them.

Put the tops on, pinch shut and then just about 6 minutes in the oven at 350. AMAZING!

So, that's my tasty, cheap, and easy recipe. And, they are so good, it's difficult to eat more than one. So, leftovers for lunch! :) I'm always looking for more ideas like this: please let me know them!

The Russell Family is doing well. Getting ready for a birthday party here in a few weeks. Hoping to get everything ready for it! We took a family picture yesterday:

Wilson was being so cute! Also, it looks as if he has red hair - but the light is just shining through some red/gold curtains we have hanging. I think he looks like a little lumberjack though! Well, Wilson woke up from his nap!

In Christ,

Julie

Frugal Momma

Frugal Momma Isn't the Only Gal in the House Now...

     That's right! Faith is living with us for the semester! So far, it's been amazing. One great thing is that I can now shower more... it's hard when your little one takes 'ninja naps' (so quick... they don't even count) and is now a super-crawler. I'm so thankful that she's here. Also, it's been good for both Thomas and I because we have now joined the Y. And for real - the Y in Green Hills is nice. We've never joined a gym (other than Strom in college) because of how pricey they are and we should be able to keep fit on our own. But, Faith is a beast (in the most super human strength way) and she's a member so we thought we would look into how expensive it is. Well, the Y we joined has this cool membership fee that if you make less than a certain amount, they base it off of your income. So, for 3 adults and 1 dependent (Wilson) - we got a truly amazing deal! Oh, did I mention that they babysit too???? Up to 2 hours a day and 9 hours a week. Could it be any better?

Happy Boy! Christmas PJs are one of the only sleepers left that fits... so he still wears them.

     So, we've been working out. And about Faith being good in the gym... she's like our personal trainer. She knows so much about fitness - and she herself can pretty much do everything longer and with more weight than I can - that she's really able to help us get in a great workout every day. We go 6 days a week - 1 day is pool day and 1 day is Spin class. Saturdays are Beef Days - we do a long run (more than 3 miles) and then slow maxing out with lifting heavy weights. The other days are all about cardio and specific strength training. It's so incredibly hard and amazing all at the same time. It also feels really good to be active again. :)

Snow in Nashville!

     Thomas is the new interim choir director at church. Right now, Covenant Pres is looking for a new one and Thomas has stepped in to help bridge the gap during the search. It's been pretty cool so far - all those classes he's taken he is finally putting to use. He does work more now, but he's enjoying it. 

Lovin' on my little boy (who did NOT want to stand in the snow!)

     I am going to the dentist tomorrow morning. I believe Wilson cracked my front tooth in one of his thrashing around sessions. So, I can't really focus on anything else until this is taken care of. I don't know what my deal is with the dentist... but I usually cry and have small panic attacks. Just thinking about it raising my heart rate... so, onto other topics (prayers appreciated!!!). 

He loves holding blankets in his mouth like a puppy dog.

     Wilson, as I've said before, is a crawling maniac now. He's super quick and always looking to try new things. As, having said that - he now can climb the stairs. We tried taking a video but after 5 minutes of him just singing and dancing on the stairs, we quit. We are trying to plan our semester out as we would like to take a couple trips with Faith. We want to drive over and see Graceland at some point. Just seems like it could be really interesting. And we also want to get to Greenville too. Wilson is getting so big... he's going to be 11 months old in 2 days! Then, in 1 month he'll be ONE YEAR OLD!!!! We are going to throw a Train Party here at the house on Feb. 25 for him. I'm starting to get ideas for cute party things now. Any ideas, please let me know!

He blinked... but man o man... doesn't he look like a Russell baby? I think he looks like Ethan!

     That's about all for now! Be sure to be praying for Thomas in his new position - that he would strive to glorify God through music and that he can keep his eyes on Jesus and the cross when things get stressful for whatever reason. I also ask that you pray for me tomorrow in the dentist chair. I pray that it isn't anything serious (and hopefully not too expensive). Also, let me know how I can pray for you - after all, you are my friends and family and I love you!

In Christ,

Frugal Momma

Frugal Momma and her Christmas, New Years and Life Updates

Again, I find myself sitting down and realizing that it's been well over a month since I posted. Instead of going in depth about everything going on, I'll just give you a glance into our super busy life! 

Christmas was a busy season (as usual!) and we loved spending our first Christmas in Nashville. Even though the weather was quite mild (and still is) we enjoyed knowing that we hope to be here for more than 2 years. In our marriage thus far, we have moved every year and every 2 moved to a different state, so it's difficult to feel settled. But, we do now. And since we have not ever been able to have a Christmas go according to our plan, (remember the blizzard last year that stranded Thomas and I at 31 weeks prego in JFK for 3 days????) Wilson ended up with a fever around 103. So, we were up much of the night Christmas Eve and Wilson and I had to stay home from church Christmas Day. I was supposed to play during the offertory, but Thomas had some music he could play. We opened gifts before church and since little buddy wasn't feeling well, we opened his. He loves his new mega-lego blocks. :) 

We then drove the next morning to Greenville to see our families and have 2nd and 3rd Christmases with them. Wilson still wasn't feeling great, but we decided to make the trip anyways. He cried most of the night and we were pretty exhausted the next day. We were able to see several friends and family which was a real blessing. On Tuesday, we had Christmas with the Russell family and wowzers did Wilson have a lot of gifts!! He pretty much loves all his new toys, but honestly we've had a good deal of fun with the boxes they came in. We saw more friends and family on Wednesday and then packed to come back home Thursday morning. 

Thomas' accounts (email and facebook) were hacked into and many people were sent emails, telling people how we were stuck in Barcelona (we wish!) and how Thomas was crying because we didn't have enough money to pay the hotel bills. The hacker then got on Thomas' facebook and started chatting with people that were online. We were highly amused at the number of people that talked to him and the lies that they caught the hacker in. One family member kept asking the hacker how 'Debbie' was and asked how the airline let her fly because of her sickness. The hacker kept making up stuff to go along with the story. Anyways, we didn't get out of Greenville til about 10:45 am and made the trek back home. 

Thomas is practicing like a boss for his recital this Sunday, January 8 at 3:00 pm at Covenant Presbyterian. He's made a real effort to keep it very focused on praising our Almighty Savior and we will even be singing some hymns! It's going to be great. We are still trying to figure out if there is a way we can stream it for those that cannot be there. We will let you know what we find out. 

New Year's Eve was uneventful as Thomas and I were asleep by 9:45 pm. I guess we officially are old. That's ok. I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

Wilson is crawling and I don't think Thomas and I were ready for it. In fact... we are still adjusting. This kid can move! And of course, he's only interested in things we are interested in... computers, cell phones, books... and especially cords. I don't know what it is, but if he sees a cord that he can grab onto, he's across the room in seconds. Hide the cord, and he cries. Big time. So, any advice or good gadgets/tools to hide cords, please let me know!

My frugal momma post for you today is just about STUFF. I've been thinking and praying a lot about our lives and how they have changed (with the birth of our amazing little boy) and how they will change (as Faith moves in with us this semester). I've dealt before with idols of my heart and over the past few days I've come to realize that I idolize STUFF. As someone who takes very seriously when the Lord convicts me of sin and repentance, this was a bit of a shock. I'm used to being convicted of big spiritual things, like pride and glorifying myself. The Lord has been gracious to me and we've dealt with (very slowly) these big issues that seem to pop up in everyone's lives. So, when my eyes were opened that someone as $-conscious/frugal/financially-smart (most of the time) had problems with consumerist America, I was a little frustrated. I've always been aware and had good sense when it comes to money. I try to save, not overspend and make solid purchases, but it's not always about that. 

The Lord has blessed Thomas and me greatly. We have a home, a loving marriage and family, awesome jobs... and yet we tend to live as if we deserve more. More what? I don't know, but I find myself looking on facebook or pinterest and wanting more. I realized that I wasn't content with where the Lord had placed me - and it was resulting in needing stuff or dreaming about a house to own or a vacation. And that's not healthy. I greatly desire to praise God from whom all blessings flow - but you can't do that if you aren't living your life through the cross. So, what does all this mean in application? I'm simplifying. I'm focusing on Christ more throughout the day and taking my gaze away from the things I don't have. And instead of having tons, I'm giving away so that I can have less and not live my life surrounded my materialism - because if I'm honest, that's where I stumble. It's so easy to think that 'if I buy that super cute _______ it will make me happy'. Only Christ and His journey to the cross to glory can make me happy. It's not about being the most chic or cool or trendy momma. It's about being so in love with Christ that I don't even worry about those things. So, I'm going to take baby steps. I'm going to clean out my closet, Wilson's old toys, and our office and get rid of and pray through the clutter and mess. What am I hoping to get from this? Again, I desire to see God work in my life and if I'm being held down by fearing what others think of me and my household, I can't bow before the King and I can't help you bow before the King either. 

So, I encourage you, look around you. As Calvin once said  - Our heart is a factory of idols. We don't worship Christ naturally, our heart is too sinful - we need redemption to worship Him and then sanctification to continue on the journey. As I look around I see a broken woman who tries to look like I have it all together by submitting to the materialism of this fallen world. From here on out, I want to apply these thoughts by not being a servant to the world through the spending of money, but by turning my life wholly over to God and not worrying about your opinion (or others) of me. What truly matters is my heart condition to the Risen King. 

In Christ,

Frugal Momma