52 Dozen. Week 5. My Mom.

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52 Dozen. Week 5.

My Mom.

My mom came to visit us for a month and just left to go back home last week. The night before her flight was leaving I wanted to bake her cookies and of course devote some thought and prayer to her safe travels home.

We ended up talking instead.

She’s not the most eloquent speaker; in fact my dad has coined the phrase “Annaese” to explain her own little language and funny phrases that don’t always make sense. But she’s always known how to encourage me.

From the beginning I can remember my mom always being a gentle, sweet spirit. She is so patient even in very frustrating circumstances. I think beyond demonstrating many of the qualities I wanted to be when I myself became a wife and mother, my mom is definitely the one who led me to my faith. She was never the type to go door-to-door evangelizing nor was she the type to lead the local small group but she’s remained faithful. She has stuck to her faith even when life had its challenges. She’s not one to dwell on the bad or ask “why me?”

I remember going to a conference a few years ago and the speaker was Ann Graham Lotts. She talked about how to guide your children but most importantly, how to lead them to Christ. She asked one simple question, “why would you want anyone besides yourself to lead your child to Christ?”

This resonated with me. As someone who has led several children to Christ as a leader in the children’s ministry at my church growing up it hit home. No one can predict when a child, or person, will feel ready to commit his or her life to Christ, but to know you played an intricate role in that life-changing decision feels so sacred. I can definitely say I would not have chosen Christ at such a young age without my mom.

My mom positioned my life in such a way that I saw Christ in her. I saw Him in her patience and faithfulness to Him in all circumstances. I saw Him in her love, unconditionally, for her family. I saw Him in the her acceptance and love for His plan for her to be adopted by her biological aunt and calling her ‘mum’ without ever really defining herself by her adoption, she clearly defines herself as a daughter of God. I saw Him in how she treated my dad, my sister and me. My mom allowed me to see her shortcomings without feeling like she had to compensate for them; she really allowed me to see that God filled in the gaps, not our own self-correction, but grace. She allowed me to learn that God was calling me in His own way without her forcing me to believe, she allowed me see Him by pointing to Him.

As I grew up I saw her as steadfast and dependable. She never seemed to waver in her faith, even when the church let her down, and let down my family. Her faith in everything God is was constant and unaffected by other’s human mistakes.

As an adult she supported my decisions and believed in my intentions to follow after dreams God had placed in my heart. She met my husband before he was mine and supported me in pursuing marriage even though I was so young, 19 to be exact.

When we were told that we would never have children her AUTOMATIC reaction without hesitation was “God has a plan and I know He’s shared with you that He wants you to be a mother, so let Him call you to that in His way.” She didn’t care about the medical details. She didn’t care about speaking her opinion about what our next steps should be, medical or otherwise. She didn’t even sway us to or away from adoption even though she knew her life had been so positively affected by being adopted. She just wanted me to be OK. She just wanted me to know she loved me and supported me. She just wanted me to know that God knew what He was doing.

When we felt God’s call on our family to adopt she didn’t question His voice in our hearts and prayers. She simply encouraged.

When we miraculously became pregnant with my son, she was the first I told even though she didn’t realize it…

I told her that God had a baby for us but that she needed to pray for health, safety, and protection. She agreed and began praying. We didn’t announce that I was pregnant to our families (or anyone) until I was nearly past my first trimester and almost done with my hormone treatment to sustain the pregnancy. She never offered any indication of doubt that God knew what He was doing.

She was brave enough and generous enough to come live with us for three months after our son arrived to help me. And even though I wasn’t very good at accepting her help, she was patient with me, and forgiving of me, while I was trying to find my way.

When we started to focus back on our adoption, she never once asked me “so why are you still going to adopt?” She just has a way of demonstrating her support without feeling like she has to tell me what she thinks. She trusts that God speaks to my husband and me about choices we’re about to make.

The past year has flown by and we haven’t seen each other very much, living 16 hours apart, we’d only gotten to visit Missouri once.

Her coming for the past month was just one of many times that my mom took the opportunity to come simply to love me (and my husband and son). She was able to step in and watch Vince a lot over that month. Unknowingly, our dog became very sick the week leading into her visit and taking the dog to and from the vet everyday after her surgery was pretty taxing on us. A week after the dog’s surgery Vince became sick enough that he couldn’t attend his 3-day per week daycare so mom spent the time with him so I could continue to work. I became sick also, which led to her getting sick and she stepped in to help tremendously then too, even while sick. The month of having her here really made me realize how badly I wish we lived closer to each other.

It’s ironic to find peace in the fact that time flies between our visits when it’s that very time that makes me miss my family. God gives us many forms of family whether it’s actual family or friends but I am so grateful for my mom, the woman she is, and the woman she has helped me become. She’s always treated me like my own person and given me the freedom to be my own person and always done it without withholding support and love.

That is the kind of wife and mom I strive to be. I don’t want to control who my husband or son becomes, I want to be a compass pointing to Christ and trusting in HIS power to call them closer to Himself. I’m so grateful to have a husband of faith who leads our family with dignity, commitment, and courage. I’m so grateful to have my miraculous son and even in his young age his love for other children is so evident. His interest in learning new things and sense of adventure encourages me that God is already calling Him to be a man like his dad. I want to be the kind of wife and mother that supports, cares, and loves regardless of any obstacles. That is the character of Christ. That is who my mom has been to me.

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 box (18.25 oz) orange cake mix
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable/canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and baking powder. Set aside.

3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla by hand. Add the egg mixture to the

   cake mixture and stir to form a dough- stir vigorously until all of the pockets of dry cake mix

   are gone. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.

4. Drop rounded balls of dough, about 2 Tablespoons each, onto prepared baking sheet. Stick a

   few more chocolate chips on top of the cookie dough balls if you want them for looks, if

   desired. Make sure the balls of dough are taller than they are wide. See here for more details.

5. Bake for 10 minutes – do not let the cookies get brown. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 3

   minutes; they will be very soft at first. As they cool, the tops may settle down; press them

   down gently with your fingers if they are not sinking much. Transfer to a wire rack to cool

   completely. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Baker’s Review:

These cookies have been a favorite for years. I first discovered the great combo of orange and chocolate at a local bakery and went home to immediately figure out something I could make as a “fix” to this addition. My mom specifically requested these cookies before leaving and even though we ended up talking the night before she left and these had to be shipped to her, I have no doubt they will satisfy her sweet tooth. These are always a hit with my husband, an equal orange/chocolate addict but this was the first time my son got to enjoy them. I hate to say but after 5 weeks of doing this, he officially KNOWS what the cookie jar is. He KNOWS what’s in it and he KNOWS he wants whatever it is. Thankfully he’s only one so he can’t see much of what’s on the counters yet but I have a feeling if I keep this up I’ll have to hide the jar! Especially since he is mastering the art of climbing, specifically on top of the dining table. Thank God our counters are much higher that that. My son devoured this cookie with wide eyes and enthusiasm. Thanks to four teeth coming in on top and three official bottom teeth, he is totally digging chewy stuff right now and almost scoffing at the little “baby bites” I’ve been chopping up and putting on his plate at each meal. He wants to use those teeth! These yummy, fruity, and chocolatey cookies gave him a chance!

These aren’t your normal cake mix cookies. I know there is a much simpler recipe where you can take ANY cake mix and make cookies out of it by using one less egg and no water in the mixing process BUT that recipe still creates light fluffy, cake-like cookies. THIS receipe, using ANY cake mix flavor creates real, legit cookies. They are chewy and soft but not fluffy like cake would be or your standard “cake-cookies.” So feel free to use this recipe with some creativity! Pick your favorite cake mix, your favorite mix-in (reese’s pieces, heath bar pieces, oreo crumbs/chunks, chocolate chips, Andes mint pieces, etc.). You can even pour this into a larger pan and make it like a brownie! YUM!