What I'm thankful for today...

1. It's Friday. It's been a full, busy, fun week. I'm tired and ready to put my feet up for a while and I can because it's Friday.

2. Grant and I stopped by the thrift store on the way home from school today due to a tip from our school librarian about a huge stash of new books that had just come in. We got some great books. Most of them were brand new. Grant found a Star Wars chapter book. We found a new copy of Eragon- which at some point we will read together, and 5 brand new Hank the Cowdog books, a Wishbone chapter book and a whole bunch of picture and board books- all for $12.00!! It made me so happy.

3. Cocoa Pebbles

4. Our friend's sweet baby Ella is here- safe and sound.

5. Granny's eye surgery went well yesterday. She should finally be able to see clearly again.

6. Leap day! It's just fun to have an extra day in the year.

7. Water with lemon

8. Girl Scout cookies

9. The funny little people I teach.

10. My husband, who had the whole kitchen cleaned up for me Sunday when I got home from a meeting after an afternoon of baking. I was really dreading walking in to the mess, but he had it spotless. I know it was several days ago, but I'm still thinking that was a pretty great thing he did.=)

How to make a Won Ton

For Valentine's Day supper, Grant and I made Won Ton soup. Grant really enjoyed the process and was cracking me up along the way. He wasn't sure he would be able to make them when we first started, but he tried, succeeded making his "first Won Ton ever in his life"=) and by the end he was ready to teach a cooking class. No, really, he asked me if we could teach a cooking class on how to make Won Tons- because everyone should know.

Todd got home from work just in time to be his first student and to document the lesson.

1. Put a small spoon-full of the meat mixture in the middle of the wrapper and wet the edges with your fingertip.


2. Fold so the corners meet.

3. Using a chop stick, gently make a mark in the middle of the Won Ton



4. Fold the two outside corners into that middle marker.


5. The Won Ton is finished.


As Grant gets older, he's not as in to doing projects with me as he used to be. So making the Won Tons together was pretty special for me. We talked and laughed and just had some really nice together time.

Family Fun Magazine strikes again!! Have I mentioned how much I love that magazine?

Linger Just a Moment

I receive a daily e-mail devotional. This one came this morning and seemed like a good reminder not just for Valentine's Day, but everyday.


Linger Just a Moment

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Matthew 28:20b (NIV)


"Breathe in every moment of your day today.

Recognize what a gift today is.

Grab someone you love and let your embrace linger just a moment longer.

Take mental pictures of the toothless grin of your baby, the tousled hair of your toddler, the crooked smile of your teenager.

Hold your husband's hand.

Look past the dirty dishes in the sink, the laundry piled high, the stuff the kids left out and see the beauty entangled in all this evidence of life.

And thank God for it all. Right now, in this second, see the blessing.

I guess I am in a reflective mood this week because I sat beside a family that so unexpectedly had to say goodbye to their Dad and husband. One minute the mom and daughters rushed past him giggling their way to the mall. I imagine the typical quick, "Love ya, see ya."

Less than an hour later, he was riding his bike when a car veered across the center lane and struck and killed him in front of my home.

The next day the family came over to my house and together we prayed at the place where his body was found.

So many questions. So many tears.

As we sat in the circle surrounded by broken bicycle parts, pressed down grass, and police paint marks - it all just seemed so unbelievable. My neighbor Holly and I prayed and hoped that somehow through our fragile words the peace of Jesus would fill the gaping holes in their hearts.

The thing that seemed to bring them the most comfort was knowing that we never left the scene of the accident. The minute we realized there was a cyclist involved, we started praying. We realized this was not just a victim -- this was someone's Daddy. Someone's husband. Someone's friend. We were there when they pronounced him dead on the scene. We stayed until the accident was cleared and the coroner came and took his body. He was never alone. Not so much because we were there but because Jesus was there. I pray they know this.

Isn't this what every soul needs to know?

The very last words of Jesus recorded in the gospel of Matthew is, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

I have no idea what I might face, today, tomorrow, next week, or next year. No idea. Experiencing something like this forces you to see the stark reality of the brevity of life.

So, I will breathe in every moment of my day today.

I will recognize what a gift today is.

I will grab those I love and let my embrace linger just a moment longer.

I will take mental pictures.

I will hold my husband's hand.

And I will thank my Jesus for the gift of one more day.


Dear Lord, I recognize you are with me and those that I love. Thank you for this comfort. Please open my eyes to all my blessings today. Cement in my heart what a gift today really is. And may I never take for granted those I love. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Can I just say...

What a great turnout we had for our mission spaghetti supper tonight. It was cold outside, but people still came to support our college students and teenagers. The kids worked really hard and did a great job cooking and serving. Everyone patiently waited for their food and the music was great. It's great to see people come together to make a difference.

The thoughts created by one little blog post...

Do you ever get overwhelmed with all there is to do in the world? I'm not talking about dishes and helping with homework and homeschooling and grocery shopping and meeting with friends and church activities and other duties we are surrounded by.

I'm talking about the kingdom work we are all called to. How do we make it all fit? We can't walk away from daily responsibilities that are so obvious, but neither can we walk away from taking care of the needy, the sick, the weak, the widowed, the orphaned.

I can't pretend I don't see homeless people or abandoned and abused children or lonely people in the nursing home or the millions of people in Africa dying of AIDS and starvation or......

Well, I can choose to pretend it's not there, but I grieve the Holy Spirit when I do. God's word is so clear on how we are to treat each other. We are to love Him with all we have and through loving Him we then have the power to love each other, take care of each other the way we take care of ourselves. Everyone we come in contact with, not just the ones we choose to love.

I have so much. Everyday I know I'll have three full meals and usually several snacks. Every night I know where I'm going to sleep- in a warm house, with a roof over my head. Every day I know that my child will be loved, provided for and nurtured. I could go on and on. I don't feel guilty for the blessings in my life. I'm thankful for them. Yet the thought that rings in my head is "to whom much has been given, much is required." Through Jesus, much (more than I could ever ask or think) has been given to me, to us.

Yesterday I read this post on a friend's blog. It has stayed with me all day. Convicting, reminding, prodding. I don't think he meant it to be haunting, but it has been for me. Especially that last line.

what can you buy for $.69?

my family and i visited a local christian bookstore on tuesday evening. as we were browsing i found a favorite author's book on the clearance rack. ron sider's just generosity was 90% off. (i also highly recommend two of his other books: rich christians in an age of hunger and good news and good works. you should also check out the organization he founded and leads: evangelicals for social action.)

when we went to checkout we were purchasing 4 books and some finger paints and art paper for judah. the other books are great and we're going to enjoy them. they just turned out to be 10 or 20 times more expensive than sider's book. it cost me $.69 to buy just generosity.

i'm thankful for the savings. don't get me wrong. but on my drive home i began to reflect upon this price and what's behind it. i'm not in retail or publishing, so i'm speaking now as an opinionated novice. but the difference between equality and opportunity for all people and the extreme poverty that is claiming lives daily in the global south is will, not ability. we have the resources. we have the methods. we have the scriptural prerogatives. but we don't often have the will. the books that sell the best are about how to make me and my life better and more prosperous. the books that need to be cleared off the shelves are the ones that talk about living the life that Christ calls us to.

in his first sermon at the synagogue at nazareth, he read from the prophet isaiah: 'bring good news to the poor... proclaim release to the captives... recovery of sight to the blind... let the oppressed go free... proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' (luke 4:14-30 and isaiah 61). the folks in nazareth didn't like this message. they tried to throw Jesus off a cliff. (if you are a preacher or teacher, when was the last time that happened to you?) this message of living outward with contagious compassion is not one that people often welcome. but it is the message that Jesus came preaching.

if Jesus had not lived a compassionate and outward life, we would have nothing. if Jesus had not lived with just generosity, preaching good news and performing good works, sharing food and drink with the hungry, we would have nothing. but as it is, we have everything! let's start giving it away! let's wreck our lives with hospitality and compassion!

Do you want to do it? Can we see what changes will be made just in our circles if we "wreck our lives with hospitality and compassion"? I'm ready. I'm listening and striving to obey.

What I'm thankful for today...

1. Beautiful weather.

2. A job I truly enjoy and the great people I work with.

3. Milk=)

4. It's Friday!

5. We have our baby quilt and bumper pad picked out and purchased. We have narrowed the room color to just two choice and I think we will start painting next weekend.

6. A room full of baby stuff that thoughtful friends have given to us- car seat, stroller, swings, a pack and play, toys, clothes. I'm overwhelmed. What a blessing.

7. Every little kick, move, and turn that I feel our precious little one make.

8. Trail mix

9. The chance to get some scrapbook pages done tonight.

10. U2 music- took out one of their cd's today to listen to. I love them.

Happy Super Tuesday

Honestly, I'm just not that excited about politics right now. We need changes in this country, but the ones we need aren't going to come through the government.

Here's a song for today....

Our baby shopping spree...

These are the little outfits we bought on our first two shopping trips after we found out we were having a boy. We all had so much fun.

Christmas Pictures...

Finally, here are our Christmas pictures.

These next ones are my favorites. The only thing Grant asked for this year was the "Star Wars Complete Saga" for his Nintendo DS. Of course, we hid that until last like all parents do. He opened all his presents from us and all the presents that had come from my side of the family up in MA. He never said a word about it not being there. And then, wouldn't you know it, I found one more present. I loved the expression on his face when he started opening it and I loved that his first reaction was a big hug and thank you. Daddy got a hug, too, but he had the camera.







Grant took the time to put on his new Auburn shirt before he started playing his game.

Floor Remodel

The kitchen floor remodel began the week after Christmas. Todd pulled up the old floor in one night and put down all the backer board over that weekend. It took a little longer to get the tile and the trim finished. Anytime the kitchen is out of commision it seems like a really long time. We lived in chaos for a while, ate cereal a lot, ate more fast food than we ever do, and had our refrigerator in the living room, but it was worth it. The floor looks great. Todd did a super job on it.

The only thing I don't have a picture of that I wish I did was when Grant laid some mud and spread it for one of the tiles.

My little reader

This sight just made me smile. I walked by Grant's room a few Saturday mornings ago and saw him sprawled out on the floor, on his quilt- reading. It reminded me of countless hours during my childhood. He found some Star Wars books at the thrift store and he's just been cruising through them. I always wanted him to have a love for books and reading. It makes my heart happy.

Time

I've had stuff to say lately, pictures I wanted to post, quotes I've wanted to share, I just haven't had the time to get them up here. I'm going to make the time this weekend.

By the way, I'm typing from the Mac. It was the logic board, had nothing to do with our ram, and it's been working like a charm since we got it back- 6 days after it went in! Oh well, it's here and working and I think I love it again.=)