Homemade Sprite

We made Homemade Sprite!

How it happened is that I've been making fresh lemonade base. I would mix the base with Pellegrino to make it bubbly.

When I was at Costco last, I bought lemons and limes. We made lemonade base and limeade base.

Ben kept calling the limeade limonade. It made me think we could maybe make our own Sprite.

Here's how we did it. 

First we made the bases.

Fresh Lemon/Limeade Base (From Better Homes & Gardens)
2 1/2C water
1 1/4C sugar
1/2t lemon or lime zest
1 1/4C FRESH SQUEEZED lemon or lime juice

1. Heat and stir water and sugar over medium heat till sugar is dissolved. Remove from hear; cool for 20 minutes. Add peel and juice to sugar mixture. Pour into a jar (I've been reusing a cool bottle I got at World Market with Pink Lemonade in it), cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days (we've had it up to 5 with no problem).
2. For each glass, combine equal parts base and water in ice-filled glasses, stir.
Makes 8 (8oz) servings or about 4 cups of base.


Second we mixed.

Homemade Sprite
1/4 C lemonade base
1/4 C limeade base
1/2 C Pellegrino

It tastes fresher than Sprite, but I found it just as refreshing. 

Ben really liked it too!

Robes

In my early years as a follower of Christ, I felt very overwhelmed.

by the world
by life
by all there was to learn in my new faith relationship

"My soul clings to you, your right hand upholds me." Ps 63:8

All I could do was cling to the Lord. I would say this verse over and over as

the world

my life

came charging at me,

flinging arrows.

Then the Lord gave me a vision.

He was seated on his huge throne. He heavy velvet, royal robes were cascading down his throne and onto the floor around him.

I was at the foot of his throne, burying my face in the softness and security of his robes.

clinging

As the arrows began their decent to strike, the mighty hand of God swept them away.

As the worries of life came charging at me, the mighty hand of God swept them away.

I was safe there, my soul clinging.

Over the last 20 years of my relationship with God, I have clung to that verse, that vision.

Today I read Jesus Calling.

Sarah Young referenced Is 61:10

"I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God!
for he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and
 draped me in a robe of righteousness."

He has given me a robe of His righteousness.

I am no longer that young woman hiding in the robe of her savior.

I am still at the foot of His throne, but standing.

Standing in the radiance of His robe of righteousness.

Basking in the presence and glory of the Lord.

Futile

I am the mother of two boys, two young boys. Today, as I do every week, I cleaned their bathroom. It would seem that even after I cleaned it, it didn't smell clean, or as clean as I wanted. I even bought a new toilet seat. It I can remove it easily and really clean. 

So today as I was disassembling the toilet and scouring every inch of it, I began to grumble to myself. Unfortunately, grumbling has become part of my weekly routine as well. Last week I tried to grumble to myself in Spanish, "No me gusta limpiar el baño". Maybe that would make me feel better?

Nope. 

It didn't.

So today I did as I do each week, clean their bathroom and complain to myself the whole time. Then I remembered Philippians 2:14 "do everything without complaining". I tried. I really did!

After I finished I thought that was it on that subject. However, tonight is bath night. My youngest stripped down and came running into the bathroom. He made it to the toilet, but not into the toilet. I was fuming. I complained, "That's it! I can't take it! Can ANYTHING feel more futile than cleaning a little boy's bathroom?"

I tried to think of something. Even though washing dishes can feel futile or dusting, is there anything that feels like as soon as you do it, you have to do it again?

Forgiveness. 

More specifically, the way God must feel when he forgives me. 

I only have to clean the bathroom once a week (or that's as often as I choose to do it), but God forgives me 

daily...

hourly...

every moment...

I'm so thankful that God never tires of forgiving me. I'm just sorry he has to do it more often.

Maybe I'll take a different approach to cleaning the bathroom.

Maybe I'll be thankful I don't have to share a bathroom with our boys.

Maybe I'll be thankful I have two boys to dirty the bathroom.

Maybe I'll be mindful of how God must feel each time he has to wash me clean.

"Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. Isaiah 1:18