Spring Rains Water the Earth

Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth. Hosea 6:3

In spite of the fact that I sometimes feel like I'm walking around in big circles, life manages to move at a steady pace and in a forward direction whether I am or not. I've often thought that if the world would just stop and let me jump off just a few minutes, I could get my act together and be ready to move forward too. But, it never seems to work out that way.

Just yesterday morning, I was up very early and snuggled on the sofa with my cup of coffee and Bible. As I was turning to the book of Romans, a little folded up piece of paper fell from the back pages of my Bible. There's a little pocket back there that holds a special stash of love letters from my Rachel. She often writes me a little note, you know, just because. I carefully unfolded this little letter to reveal a message she had written when she was only six years old.

On the outside is a little stick figure drawn in orange marker with a talking bubble that says, "a Kiss for Mama"

The inside reads, with carefully formed letters written in thick pencil:

God made me speshel so you and Daddy cood love and caer for me.
I love God is much as you do.
I love you.
Rachel

this is a Bible vers.
Sumit yourselfs then to God, resist the devel and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

As I sat there in the quiet of an early Sunday morning, tears chasing one another down my cheeks, I realized once again how fleeting is time. It waits for no one.

You know, I was certain I had lingered over what my children did and said and accomplished from the moment they were born. After all, I was with them twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Did I miss something somehow? I found myself wanting to go back in time. To stay there. All wrapped up in that little hand written love letter, things seemed simpler. Life was innocent. Stick figures were works of art and words spelled phonetically were exciting milestones.

And so I find myself with another Monday nearly over. What do I do? I remind myself to acknowledge the LORD...press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.

A Little Girl, A Big Train, and Cookies

Rachel, our resident engineer

It was her goal to use every single train track, every single train and car, and bridge and tree and building and stop sign and, well, you get the picture. I would have had to take a panoramic view photo to capture the entire layout. The track actually ran under the chair behind her and swirled around in front of the fire place before heading back into town!

I just love this girl! She's amazing. Last night she made homemade chocolate chip cookies (which, I might add, were sent to work with Daddy who notified us this morning that they are almost gone and were receiving rave reviews!). I happened to be walking by when she placed a cookie-filled baking sheet into the oven and then set two timers. The one on the stove was for 12 minutes (for how long the cookies needed to bake). The one on the microwave was for two minutes. Now the timer wasn't actually turned on, it was just set for two minutes and blinking, ready for someone to press the Start button. Needless to say, this threw me for a loop. "What's that for?" I inquired. "Oh, after I take the cookies out of the oven, I need to wait two minutes before moving them to the cooling racks. This is my timer for the two minutes." Really? Really!

She's a machine! Did you know that 1/8 cup is equal to two tablespoons? She had to cut this cookie recipe in half (it makes 80 cookies) and discovered several instances where the recipe called for 1/4 cup. Well, I don't think they make a 1/8 measuring cup, so she went on-line and found a conversion tool. She also discovered that one-half an egg is equal to 2 tablespoons as well. I probably would have just eye-balled the 1/8 cup, added a whole egg and hoped for the best. This usually doesn't work out too well in the world of baking.

But Rachel is all about the details. And that, my friends, is why her cookies were absolutely amazing. Honestly, they were the best chocolate chip cookies ever. Ever.

This little girl wants her own blog. I'm thinking she's ready! Details to follow soon.

Happy Wednesday!

Girls Day Out...Rachel's Platter

The boys were going to be gone the entire day. Hmmmm. What to do. A girl and her mama all alone in an empty house. We never get to be alone really. We wanted to do something special that would take us out of the house. We've been cooped up inside for so long! We thought being creative was just what we needed and so headed out to a great little "make your own pottery" place.

We thoroughly enjoyed lingering over our projects and spent three hours painting together. Three whole hours! We loved every single minute of our time together. It was simply wonderful!

After all that hard work, we went out for a late lunch and then headed home to watch a chick-flick, The Young Victoria. What a great movie! We sipped our hot cocoa and snuggled on the couch until the boys finally arrived back home later that evening.

Here's a look at Rachel's project, from beginning to end...


Starting with a blank "piece of paper" which will become a platter to be used for homemade cookies.



Rachel sponged on a baby pink background and then added big sponged dots which later become beautiful flowers.



The platter is really starting to take shape as the flowers bloom right before our eyes.



Three hours later, the finished platter is gorgeous even before being fired in the kiln.



Isn't it just stunning! I think we both squealed with delight when we arrived seven days later to pick-up the finished platters (I made one too). We both agreed this is something we want to do together again in the very near future.



This little note on the back of the platter will help us remember when we had our fun afternoon together!



A beautiful girl with her beautiful creation!

Tomorrow I hope to post photos of my platter...stay tuned for more creativity!

Happy Wednesday!

Caution: Vent Post

Good morning, my sleepy heads!

I snuck in the room to take this picture a few mornings ago. At the very moment Caleb heard the little beep of the camera, he turned and I caught his sleepy eyes in this photo. Awww!

In case you are wondering what on earth my children are doing, this has become a regular first-thing in the morning scene at our home. The kids both grab the books they are reading (Rachel was nearing the end of The Hidden Hand and Caleb is finishing up The Lord of the Rings) and head to the heater vents located on the floor in front of the big window. They usually sit on the vents, but this particular morning they both huddled over them. This very well might have been the morning it was -7 degrees outside!

It's been way too cold here for way too long.

Usually there's a chair and a half positioned in the center of the big window. When the Christmas tree was up, the vent on the left was opened up (there's usually an end table there) and Rachel claimed it as her own. After the tree came down, she asked if we could leave the big chair and end table where they were so the vents would remain open. Why not! I told her when spring arrives (please hurry!) and the heater vents aren't needed so much, we'll move the chair back.

It's funny how these little things can catapult you back in time. When I was a young girl, I can remember getting up in the morning, wearing my long flannel nightgown, and finding my way to the heater vent located in the floor of our kitchen (which was right in front of the sliding glass doors). The warm air would fill my nightgown into a big soft puff and I would stay all warm and cozy. At least until the heater turned off.

As a side note, I'm sure everyone is familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien's, The Lord of the Rings. But did you know The Hidden Hand, written by E.D.E.N. Southworth, is considered by some to be one of the greatest pieces of literature written in the 19th century? It was penned in 1859. I think Rachel would not hesitate to tell you that it is one of her all-time favorite books...ever. She could hardly put it down! Having read the last pages, tears rimmed her eyes when she came to me with the book closed. Even though the title of the book never appears within the text itself, the story leads the reader to understand fully how God's hidden hand was upon the life of a young girl named Capitola.

It's snowing here...again. And another winter weather advisory has been issued.

Did I mention that spring arrives in eight weeks. Eight weeks. Please, please hurry! Until then, you might find us (at least the kids) on the vents!

Christmas Concert Memories

This is such a beautiful time of year, but it's also a busy time. The kids had the privilege of performing with the adult choir at church for the Christmas concerts. There were four concerts in all, spanning a three-day weekend. We have already had a couple of huge winter storms hit here on the Great North Coast, and the possibility of a third monster storm was to arrive on Sunday evening during the last performance.

We prayed. Everyone prayed. God was faithful and held back the big snow until after everyone was safely home late Sunday night. The performances were beautiful with Christ where He belongs...on the Throne!

And the storm? It hit in the early morning hours on Monday. We all woke-up to another blizzard!

Here are some pictures that capture a few wonderful memories of Christmas at Parkside!



Caleb in his very first tuxedo and Rachel wearing Mama's pearls. You probably can't tell, but Rachel is also wearing mascara. Just a little. The girl was born with brushes attached to her eyelids, I tell you! I've never seen anything like it. Now I know why there's such a thing as an eyelash curler. As you may have guessed, I have never ever had a need for one of those!



My "Spy Kids"

Caleb, posing after the very last performance. I think this has become one of my all-time favorite photos of him.

And here's Miss Rachel, looking all aglow before the first performance.

We were so thankful to have our neighbor, Stacey, along with her mother and grandmother, join us for the Saturday matinee performance. Stacey and her family moved in behind us when I was nine months pregnant with Rachel. She has been like a daughter to us and an older sister to Rachel since the day she was born. We were talking about how Stacey was 11 when we first met. Now, she's all graduated from college and just turned 23! My how time flies.

Caleb posing as a Steak 'n Shake waiter! The serious face was on purpose. Everyone was laughing while I was trying to get his picture since he looked exactly like the Steak 'n Shake ads!

One of the highlights for the kids was being able to go to Steak 'n Shake after Saturday night's performance. It wasn't because they got to go to Steak 'n Shake. No, it was because all of their friends and their families were going! The place was jam packed with people dressed in formal attire. You should have seen all the women in long black gowns! We could have had a flash mob right there in the restaurant. You remember what a flash mob is, don't you?

Hey, thanks for checking in on me! I feel like I've been so overwhelmed with so many things of late. I hate not having time to blog. But, we're all doing well. Mr. Wonderful has just started his third week at the new job. We are still so very thankful for this miracle!

I hope this Monday finds you preparing your heart for the week ahead as we try to slow down and think about the true meaning of Christmas. God's richest blessings to you!

Much love,

Practice, Persistence and Prayers

Some beautiful music for your enjoyment...


Sonatina Op. 55, No. 3 (Kuhlau)

Rachel played this piece for her fall recital this past Sunday afternoon. During the two minutes she was at the keyboard, I will tell you that I could hardly breathe (like every other mother seated in the audience). I am thankful to say that my heart wasn't pounding out of my chest like it usually does!

Is it OK to say we are proud parents? I hope so. I will follow that by saying we recognize God has given Rachel a wonderful gift. We pray she will be able to use her gift to serve Him and bring glory and honor to His name.

In the end, recitals are a great opportunity to showcase, for just a few moments, the many hours of practice, persistence, and prayers.

Autumn Only Lasts So Long

My Little Missy

Oh, today has been such a nice day. For a number of different reasons I suppose. I don't know. I woke-up extra early and decided to sneak downstairs and linger over a cup of coffee while reading from The Valley of Vision. Do you have this little book in your library? If not, you really should. This devotional contains prayers from the largely forgotten deposit of Puritan spiritual exercises, meditations and aspirations. The beauty of the language stirs my heart and helps me see through eyes which are not my own. I could never speak so eloquently, but my heart feels each word as if it originated there.

GOD ALL-SUFFICIENT

O Lord of Grace,

The world is before me this day,
and I am weak and fearful,
but I look to thee for strength;
If I venture forth alone I stumble and fall,
but on the Beloved's arms I am firm
as the eternal hills;
If left to the treachery of my heart
I shall shame thy Name,
but if enlightened, guided, upheld by thy Spirit,
I shall bring thee glory.
Be though my arm to support,
my strength to stand,
my light to see,
my feet to run,
my shield to protect,
my sword to repel,
my sun to warm.
To enrich me will not diminish thy fullness;
All thy lovingkindness is in thy Son,
I bring him to thee in the arms of faith,
I urge his saving Name as the One who died for me.
I plead his blood to pay my debts of wrong.
Accept his worthiness for my unworthiness,
his sinlessness for my transgressions,
his purity for my uncleanness,
his sincerity for my guile,
his truth for my deceits,
his meekness for my pride,
his constancy for my backslidings,
his love for my enmity,
his fullness for my emptiness,
his faithfulness for my treachery,
his obedience for my lawlessness,
his glory for my shame,
his devotedness for my waywardness,
his holy life for my unchaste ways,
his righteousness for my dead works,
his death for my life.

Some of those lines--I just have to pause and really think about them. Amazing love! How can it be, that thou my God shouldst die for me?

This afternoon I am home alone with my sweet little missy. It's unusual that we're home on a Wednesday afternoon. So, do you know what we did? We decided to get a little brave and pull out ... drum roll please ... our sewing projects! Rachel is finishing an embroidery project she started earlier this summer. And me, well, do you remember this post? How about this post? I must confess that since cutting out all the squares for my quilt back in July, everything has been tucked away. I guess with the weather changing, it seems like the perfect time to pull it all back out again.

But I'm scared!

Rachel and I took everything upstairs and used the bed to create a grid so that all the pieces were correctly placed (the finished quilt will be 6' x 5'). Then she carefully wrote labels for each square (column 1, row 1, etc.) and I pinned them in place. I don't know if that's what you're suppose to do, but I feel like I need to know exactly what is what and to know where what goes! Then we carefully stacked up each row and placed them into plastic bags in order to keep them from getting mixed-up.

Rachel asked, "So, are you going to sew now?"
"Uh, no. I'm too scared!"

So, we're headed in the right direction, but have much to consider. This is my first big quilt (big for me!) and I really want to do a good job.

I'll keep you posted!

By the way, I hope you like the new blog background and colors. I'll probably still make some little adjustments here and there. I must say it was quite fun choosing something new and my little missy was right there helping every step of the way. Since autumn only lasts so long, I'll be able to do it all again in another couple of months!

Happy Wednesday!

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Last Friday, Rachel made two pumpkin pies, from start to finish, all by herself!



Look at that crimping on the pie crust...wow!



Hot out of the oven...the aroma, heavenly!



First slice of this season's first pumpkin pie...oh, yum!

I will just say, for the record, that I moved the liquid pies from the counter to the oven as it can be very tricky. Everything else was done without any supervision. Why, I wasn't even in the room!

You might find it a little amusing that it's only been a year since we learned how to make a pie crust. And it's only been a year since Rachel actually submitted to a bite of pumpkin pie. Oh, how her world changed after that one little bite!

Needless to say, having slightly warmed pumpkin pie topped with cold whipped cream on a chilly Friday night in October was an incredible treat. And here, I always thought pumpkin pies were just for Thanksgiving.

Everything's a little nicer when there's pumpkin pie nearby...and a sweet little girl snuggled in next to you enjoying the work of her hands.

All Saints Day 2009

Rachel singing I Sing a Song of the Saints of God, November 1, 2009

I received an incredibly wonderful gift today and just had to share it.

Thank you, Bruce! And Ruth (playing the piano), thank you for the amazing opportunity you presented to Rachel almost one year ago. I am still in awe when I think how every single detail was filtered through His hands of love.

A little background...

Rachel was asked to sing for All Saints Day last November 1st. We were unable to record it and really only had our memories of this very special day. That is, until today. As you can imagine, tears flowed upon seeing and hearing our little girl's voice sing this song once again.

Please know that Rachel had never sung in public before. Rachel was 11 at the time.

Every single obstacle that stood in her way, the Lord removed.

This is a God Story and one we will treasure in our hearts all the days of our lives.

Praying this brings joy into the hearts of many,

The Beauty of Faded Roses

Rachel took these gorgeous pictures a couple of weeks ago.

There is beauty at the end of things, I think.

A faded rose still has enough beauty to attract a sphinx moth.

The delicate petals of this faded rose are especially beautiful at the final moment of the day's last drop of sunshine.


And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day.
Genesis 1:5


Enjoy today...down to the very last drop of sunshine!

Wordless Wednesday

First Day of School 2005

Take time to linger in your memories,

First Day of School

Yes, we are four days past our regular start date, but that's one of the great things about home schooling. I get to make decisions that are best for me and my family. In this case, it was best for me. And so our 2010 - 2011 school year begins!


Fall has arrived in the sky and you can smell it in the air



Caleb is holding-up the famous maple tree. Yes, that's lichen. This photo also shows the severe lack of rain we've had and the severe hot weather we endured all summer. I don't think any of our first day of school photos have ever had, um, such a lovely color in the background.

Master Caleb, 14



Miss Rachel, 12



The side-by-side pose we've taken every year since the beginning



They haven't changed too much...whaaa!



Mr. Wonderful was standing behind me making faces...or making fun of me. I don't know which. I know. I know. He would never stand behind my back and make fun of me! Mmmm hmmm.

Anyway, I'm so glad to be back on a regular schedule. I don't know why it's so easy to get out of sorts during the summer...I suppose from staying up too late and sleeping in too much. I do enjoy those lazy hazy summer days, but it really does get old after a while.

School is now in session!

Camp Fun!

The kids each created their own video montage using their favorite camp photos. I was amazed at their ability to create the video, choose the background music (or in Caleb's case, create it), and have everything turn out, well, amazing!

So, without further ado, here's 22 days of camp all rolled-up into a few short minutes. What fun!

Camp Tapawingo 2010




Deerfoot Lodge 2010



God Bless Camp Tapawingo and Deerfoot Lodge. We love you and thank God for your ministries!

My Super Heroes

A number of years ago my Auntie Lou gave me a huge homemade chest filled with yards and yards of old polyester and cotton fabrics in just about every color you could imagine. Over the years the kids have created more costumes than I can even remember. Here's a tribute to my Super Heroes!


They're looking pretty serious here...


There's that famous smile!


Off to rescue someone in trouble!

Rachel saves the day...

The girl's fashion sense is remarkable. Even the earrings match!

Save yourself a lot of money buying the latest fad toys that will be broken or forgotten in a week. Go buy some cheap fabric on clearance in an array of different colors (or find yourself an auntie that's got a box stuffed just for you!). Place the fabric in a cool box along with a pair of kid-friendly scissors.

Ta da!

Guaranteed hours and hours of play time. A lifetime of memories.