Even if he does not

Right off the heels of a revelation of God's blessing, a spiritually intense - and potentially rewarding - season follows.  I have begun to pray and fast for Stefan and also for clarity on whatever else the Lord may choose to shed light.  So far, what has happened is that the Lord has led me to a verse to pray or meditate upon for my little boy, as well as for my faith.

Today's blessing was from Habakkuk.  Of all unlikely places to end up this morning, I was there, glancing over most of it after a Bible lesson on patience and timing.  These verses from Habakkuk 3 were part of my wedding vows to Scott.

¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

I sort of forgot about those verses until we were on our way home from a playdate.  It really had been a good morning, but toward the end Stefan started throwing fits, and then I got a parking ticket.  It was one of those situations where I was walking up as they were giving me they ticket.  They got some feedback from me.  It was ugly.  I cried from the frustration of the fits and the near-miss at getting the ticket. 

I prayed, and thought about it, and then was kind of okay.  Oh, I'll still try to appeal the ticket.  I think the fine is outrageous.  I'll probably still have to pay, but I gotta speak up.

More importantly (and kind of surprisingly for me to get spiritual about such things) I remembered these verses as I drove.  Okay, so what if I don't have a perfect morning?  What if Stefan still has fits sometimes, and we have to work through it.  Or bigger - I asked myself, "What if God doesn't...?"  What if what I want and what I get are very, very different?  I remembered the three Hebrews who proclaimed to Nebuchadnezzar that their God had power to save them, but even if he did not, they would not bow.  I remember a quote I read a few weeks ago and shared with some friends, "The enemy will always threaten us with what we fear if our faith is conditional." 

My fears often take the form of "What if?" statements.  I realize I need to turn my "What if's?" Into, "Then, God."  I can't deny the situation or bargain with God - I have to trust.  That's what Habakkuk is testifying here - If... then, God.

This has been my story for a long, long time; I may not always share about the lifeless trees and stunted buds, desolate fields and missing livestock.  I need to learn to be more honest about such things; more transparent.  When I fail to be so, it is partly because it is just so uncomfortable for me to share about, and partly because of this commitment, in feast or fallow, to "be joyful in God my Savior," trusting in God's future grace.  Whatever comes... God.

This is the day

Working from home always brings the dilemma of how best to multitask and balance work/life concerns. Should I wake up and immediately begin laundry, rotating loads as I evaluate student work or type lesson plans? Will doing some house cleaning help me focus as I work, or do I need to block it out and get to it later? Should I break for lunch? Since I don't have to commute, do I give myself that time, or do I try to get more done? Having an autistic child adds extra jigsaw jags to the puzzle. Will he need to be at five appointments each week? Should we bother to drive the extra hour for the weekly appointment with a specialist in a discipline, or is the net benefit the same if we go with a therapist who is closer, and give ourselves back an hour per week? How will making all of his therapy appointments affect the total amount of attention I can possibly give to my typically developing child, who needs me as much as any child? Having just moved, and having the potential, and desire, to move again, I can become either paralyzed, or anal about making decisions. All of these things were going through my head this morning. I thought, God, I need to have some fun today. Some kind of fun, so I can remember to take life lightly, and to trust. Because deep down, I know that even though all of these things are in flux, God is never less in control than when the choices seemed simple. So I sort of sheepishly determined that I should have faith that God would work it out. That is why I was so blessed to read the short devotional from *Jesus Calling* - the kids version - to my kids in the van on the way to their school this morning. It spoke right to what I had been thinking. You can waste so much time planning your day: trying to figure out what to do- and when to do it. Then, when you think you've got it all just right, something happens. Teh doorbell rings, a friend calls, you start to feel sick. Your whole plan is thrown off, so you have to start all over again. And you forget all about Me. There is a much better way. Tune in to Me. I have everything under control: My control. Instead of trying to plan everything, let Me show you what to do now and next. Then you will be free to enjoy Me and the day I have prepared for you. I was thrilled and rejoicing on the way to the kids' school this morning. As I had laid in bed this morning, I prayed that God would teach me to have faith, and build our family faith. This little word was one small step, and believing it will be a giant leap in the right direction.

Moving Violations

I am trying to decide whether or not it's worth it to try to get any more boxes moved over from the house next door. It means herding the kids back and forth, and the ornery one is in a particular awful mood this morning. On the other hand, I am out of paper towels and my washer is out of commission so cloth ones are in short supply. I think I have a tool to help the one in a bad mood, but it is next door, and again, getting over and back is going to be a fight. I guess I'll have to try. It is so hard to plan right between houses. Situations like this have drained my energy and brain power. I am about to say something I may take back later. I think that either moving or watching kids when you're not quite unpacked is enough to try to do, but both at once is impossible. Yesterday I was driving the kids to Costco to get some little thing; really it was just an excuse to stay in the car for an extra hour. I noticed a police motorcycle ahead, checked my speed and the posted limit, and wasn't that surprised when I got pulled over. The guy was super nice, I must say. Later in the day I was taking a little reading break, and then stood up and hit my head on a light fixture hanging in the middle of the room. I'm just not used to it yet. So I got a goose egg. I think both of these things happened because I am so scattered from moving.

Thanksgiving

We had our first Thanksgiving as returned Arizonans today.  It was sweet!  We got to host my parents - what better reason to push to get unpacked and settled!  I was thrilled.

My mom knew I was going to make cupcakes, so she surprised me with an early Christmas gift - a cupcake tree!  I arranged the top two tiers with the 10 turkey-topped cupcakes I made for today.  Even before I served them these little guys had brought so much fun to my life, but then when I put them on this stand my family said they looked like a choir - like a living Christmas tree pageant, if you've ever seen one of those.  They're right, of course.  Just imagine them singing, and try not to smile.

Speaking of smiles, I give you here my little boy enjoying finger foods from one of the pilgrim hat style combination plate and dipping-trays I made.  This was another super fun little project.

I liked when I took the picture below that I got so many people in the shot.  Mom and I were standing in my kitchen, just on the other side of that counter with the food on it.  That's my little girl with her Indian-style hat on that she made earlier this week.  My husband was in the kitchen most of the morning, since he made the turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce, and heated up the gravy.

Well, below is what it's all about; what we have to be thankful for.  I am thankful that my kids got to host their grandparents for Thanksgiving, that they saw them a week or so ago, and will see them in another week or so.  It's rather magical.

Side note: my daughter is wearing an outfit that my mom gave me at a baby shower for Kyrstin four years ago.  I just discovered yesterday that it would fit her, and was thrilled!  It has a bee motif.  On the bib it says, "Bee attitudes," and it is embroidered with attitudes I want to teach Kyrstin: Bee kind, Bee patient, Bee happy, and Bee thankful.  Seemed perfect for today.

We tried to get family pics for our Christmas card - it's all happening so fast! - but the kids wouldn't sit still.  We'll try again next weekend.

I've been trying to teach Kyrstin about Thanksgiving; we have a children's storybook that, I think, fairly represents the story from both the native American and European points of view.  It states as fact that there was a group of people who did not appreciate the way they were forced to worship, and so they were looking for another place to live.  Meanwhile in BSF we have been studying Abraham, and looking at Hebrews 11, which describes Abraham and others looking for the promised land.  

"[T]hey admitted they were strangers and aliens on the earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them" (13c-16).

I thought a lot about the faith and endurance of those early settlers.  I know they could have returned on the Mayflower when it sailed back after that first winter, but they didn't; they worked it out  because they believed.  Deep down they must have had the conviction of things not seen, and they stood and walked by faith.  It is a courageous legacy, one that I hope that I can grow and pass on to my family.

Just in case you're (p)interested

Ah, delay! What grief it has sometimes been to me, and yet, what a blessing in disguise! It is a delay that allows me to write this post, sitting here in front of this fire.

We are shifting our deeply-rooted lives 1000 miles west. That is a big ship to turn around. It takes a little more time than we thought.

I've been taking pics of things I think will be my last, like this cup of coffee brewed in my house. Please excuse my hair. I told my husband that I felt like packing up the coffeemaker would be the point of no return. Well, it's not sealed up yet, but I'd kinda rather not get it back out tomorrow, since I washed the carafe. That seems like boring news for the Internet.

Okay, so here's something kind of fun. Pumpkin spice bagels! Yahoo! I'm enjoying all the pumpkin ness.

I'm not on Pinterest, but it benefitted me the other day when I asked my girlfriends for advice on packing up my necklaces. An idea from Pinterest was to thread skinny ones through a straw so they didn't get tangled. So I did. If I were on Pinterest, I'd post this idea. I decided to roll up my busy necklaces in a towel, like so. It made a little necklace log that was easy to pack. TAda! I don't think this is super original, but it was a good solution.

This huge, bright truck is in my driveway. Isn't it pretty? The kids have had a great time running up and down the ramp. Here is my hubs, who essentially wore himself out yesterday and today, loading said vehicle.

So, we're to the point where the house looks like this. And we still have stuff like this in the garage. (Pic was taken during the day, FYI.). So there is just enough left to do that by taking an extra day we can enjoy this fire tonight, rest up, and then wrap up properly and without strain.

Oh yeah, one more pinteresty thing - I saw these apple nachos a site with a other fall recipe I like, and made them for the kids a few times. Nutella a d pb. They LOVE them. Who wouldn't, right? Do other families also go through a jar of Nutella per week, or is it just us, and the novelty of it?

So anyway, in case you're pinterested, we're a day behind but doing fine.

It's all in the timing...

I continue to think about this issue of the right time.  I know that our times are in the Lord's hands.  I read something yesterday that was pretty profound about how sometimes God is just waiting to build the right character in us so that when we have arrived where we are meant to be we can remain there.  Been thinking about this a lot.

I got an e-mail this morning that linked me to a video about making a countdown caterpillar, which is helpful for teaching kids about time and waiting.  Here's the link, just in case it's something you'd like to do.  I think it's adorable.

Thankful

It has been in a thoughtful, though not unproductive, day. Learning new skills or adapting to change takes energy. I planned at one point to write a gripey post about how tired I am. Then I remembered that I ought to be thankful in all things. I am grateful for solutions to problems that come at just the right time. Like dinner tonight. I had some ground beef and noodles and was trying to figure out how to use said beef without serving a version of what I served last night (a sausage goulash). I recombined things in my mind with other available ingredients until I realized that I could serve this. Meatballs with chipotle ketchup and pasta primavera. I was really pleased that it turned out tasty, appealing, and a little bit special because of the ketchup (see prior post about making ketchup). My husband made a point to teach my daughter to thank me for cooking and for always keeping them fed.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We are having a high-protein breakfast today.  I made smoothies with protein powder, powdered milk, frozen fruit and water, plus breakfast burritos.  If that sounds complicated or impressive, it's just a result of combining what I had on hand into recognizable, tasty food shapes.

I think the smoothies were a hit because my little boy drank two Cars 2 sippies of it.  I knew he wouldn't really eat his burrito - he unrolls things and discards the tortilla - so did my daughter.  Oh, well.  We're going for protein.

Here is a dose of the serious cuteness this guy's smile brings into my day on a regular basis.

I could add a picture of the tantrum he is throwing on the floor right now, but you don't want to see that, do you?

Alright, so I only got as far as the first word in the subject. Expect lunch and dinner soon...

...

In the few minutes now before our time of use savings kick in and I run some laundry, here's what I did for lunch and dinner.

For lunch, the kids had leftovers at their playdate.

I also had leftovers; rice and beans plus the contents of a kabob leftover from yesterday.  It was SO GOOD, and something I would NEVER bother putting together for its own sake - I mean I'd never grill veggies and chicken to put them in rice and beans.

For dinner I thawed a frozen dish I'd made from our church's cookbook; the recipe contributor blogs at recipesforroger.blogspot.com and is quite a cook.  I think she brought us this meal when I had just had the little guy smiling above.

It's spaghetti, chicken, cream soup, cheese, Rotel, salt and pepper.  So good!

Well, time of use kicked in and someone is crying in the other room, and it sounded like a fall.  Earlier today I found this:

Which is just life with my toddler boy.  All is well now, but I need to go check.

No recipe for happiness

There are shows like America's Test Kitchen, where the chefs try stuff out and explain what works, and there is Elton Brown on TV explaining why these aminos and those carbohydrates result in this product.  But have you ever noticed how decidedly unscientific cooking can be?  Specifically, how no one ever reports on the failed experiments?  I'm no scientist - it is not my calling - but I know that generally you start out with a hypothesis, then propose an experiment, describe the materials and procedure, describe the results, and then analyze the data.  Sometimes your hypothesis is proven and sometimes it is disproven; sometimes it is not disproven.

So today I started with a working hypothesis that I could make whole wheat pancakes from scratch without a recipe and that they would turn out delicious.  Like I said, no scientist, but I do love to cook.  So, it was an experiment, and one that I pretty much needed to work since I was making breakfast.  I think part of the scientific method - or at least write-ups of experiments - involves providing some background.  Background: I love pancakes, but cannot consistently make them well.  If it's not bisquick, they are often flat or unevenly browned.  Also, I am on a health kick, under conviction that my family must eat better.  Furthermore, it was a rough night with my son, so as he slept in, I decided I would have a special moment with my daughter and make whatever she wanted, hoping she wouldn't ask for waffles, because the Bisquick ones are unsatisfactory and from scratch is a pretty involved process (though they are delicious).  I know that applesauce is a good substitute for fat in baking, but we don't have any, so I decided to use nonfat vanilla yogurt.

Here is the recipe:

Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes

1 C WW Flour

1/2 C AP flour

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1 t salt

1 C milk

1/2 C nonfat vanilla yogurt

1 t cinnamon

1 t vanilla

2 eggs, beaten

Mix all dry ingredients, and make a well.  Mix all wet ingredients, pour into well, and stir.  Pour by 1/3- 1/2 cups onto 300 degree griddle.  These pancakes take a long time to bake; maybe 4 minutes per side.  But they do cook all the way through.

Results:

I was very pleased with how evenly they turned out; they were thick but they cooked all the way through and did not burn.  They tasted good, but were kind of shiny and rubbery on the edges.  

Analysis:  I assume the shininess and rubberiness was because of subbing yogurt for fat.  Kids liked them just the same; happy-face shape was a success.

Conclusion: In the future, I will stock oatmeal and wheat germ so I can make WW pancakes per recipes I know will work.  Also, hypothesis that I could create a great pancake recipe from scratch was proven to be wishful thinking.

Funky Sheep

I am trying to be more intentional about teaching my kids, and was blessed by a referral to a resource for teaching one character trait per month that gives ideas but allows for a lot of flexibility.  I just started planning in earnest for this yesterday, and started implementing it today.  Already, I am amazed by how much I have learned.

This month's trait is gentleness, and a very timely lesson, indeed.  A lot of the activities are sheep-centric, because Jesus leads us gently as the good shepherd.  Well, like I said, I just started this today, and it's been great, but I was scrambling a bit.  Thus, we made a sheep with colorful pom poms instead of the usual cotton balls.  These are sheep of a different color.

It so happens that I was talking to a friend today about a common experience we've had with children who are difficult to figure out.  It's hard to know quite what to expect or how to feel; in other words, it's not all black and white with these sheep.

I think one thing I've learned so far from this material that helps in this situation is that the Lord is my shepherd, too.  He cares for me as I care for my little flock; "He gently leads those that have young."  He understands what my kids need even when I don't, and has mercy on me when I can't figure it out.  I've been thinking a great deal about  how gently the Lord has led me, and how that is some second-hand grace I can pass along to my funky flock.

The half-life of grace, or second-hand miracles

A friend offered me some secondhand clothes and I picked them today.  I appreciate this because a) it helps me extend my wardrobe, and b) I don't have to suffer any buyer's remorse.

I was thinking this morning about the miracle of longsuffering; how over time, indirectly, some of the longsufferer wears off on the suffered.  Maybe this is because I am so hard-headed and proud that you can't teach me anything; you have to show me.  That takes time, which puts the long in longsuffering.

If I could just learn everything directly for myself, I could experience more grace firsthand.  Sometimes, though, I don't even know what I'm missing.  I get around people who've got something special, and think, hmm, where  can I pick some of that stuff up?  Also, I have in the past bought some nice stuff second-hand, and really enjoyed the quality.  It made me more willing to pay the price for the real thing later on, and start counting that cost.  It's the same with spiritual blessings.

This idea makes me uncomfortable, too, because I realize how frequently the grace God shines into my life is  snuffed out by my own selfishness or fleshliness.  This is most evident when I am impatient or short with my children.  I guess sometimes I expect them to be little adults.  It's taken me XX years to arrive where I am, and it's not the finish line... clean or dirty, cute or frumpy, I've got some little wardrobes to launder and fold, and do it all again tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow... until they're big enough to take it all on their own.

The patience to do that would be a miracle that I am just hoping would have a secondhand effect.

Sometimes you feel like a nut

There are cookie bars baking in my oven.  Let me tell you the story of how they came to be.

Last night, around 1:30, our little boy started fussing.  We tried rocking and holding him, to no avail.  We tried to let him cry it out, but he would not let up and we could not sleep.  We finally gave him some tylenol, held him for 20 minutes after that, and then let him go back to sleep.  We think it is a teething issue as there was a wet spot on his sleeve right where he likes to chew when he is teething.  All in all this took two hours - so, around 3:30, I'm snuggling under the covers, thankful, and zzzz....

7:30 my daughter comes into bed with us.  We are tired, but happy because it's a Saturday, so we can take it slow and be together.  Breakfast is nice, and with coffee, I feel like kind of a decent person.  Until the kids start being weird.  Then we have errands to run, and I feel like I'm dragging them around in the van, though heavier than our automobile seems to be the accumulating thoughts of everything that annoys me in life.  The coffee starts to wear off.  I have nothing nice to say, so say mostly nothing to anyone.  I contemplate the fact that my tiredness from being up two hours in night watches does not explain or justify my total change of attitude from breakfast to errands, but it does contribute.

After lunch I decide that what will make me feel better is to bake something chocolaty.  Start out going for cookies, but realize we are out of sugar, so switch to bars.  I realize also that cooking and/or eating chocolate is really not going to make the difference in my attitude, but that it will contribute.  We have most of the ingredients on hand - graham crackers, sweetened condensed milk, flaked coconut, and chocolate chips, but no walnuts.  I decide to sub some of the almonds that we have, though I put them only on half of the pan since they might constitute a choking hazard for the little boy.

The combo of chocolate, coconut, and almonds reminds me of Almond Joy.  So I figure that half of my pan of cookie bars will be Mounds, and half will be Almond Joy.  This split really is an apt metaphor for my day, and a lot of days: sometimes I feel like a nut, and sometimes I don't.

Surprises

We are home today. It is overdetermined. We can't get out, and there aren't many places we really ought to be other than here. Surprisingly, it's been a good day; the kids have played nicely and even shown sign of some developmental progress (always encouraging with a toddler and preschooler). Kids are playing in back yard and seem to really like it. 64 or so out there this January day; got to love Oklahoma weather and all of its surprises (earthquakes, tornadoes, Sprinter, etc.). Friends can surprise you, too. There is something I need regular help with and have been struggling to find it; I felt like God put on my heart to get in touch with a couple of people, but have not, because I have assumed they were too busy. Well, I called two of them today, almost apologetically. One said she'd be happy to help almost any other time, which was good to know, and the other agreed to do it, with hardly a hesitation. God can surprise me. Happiness is being surprised by little moments. Well, wouldn't you know; before I could finish typing this up I hear a little voice tell me of a developmental regression... that I have to clean up... life is never as neat and tidy as a blog post.

Running the course

I woke up thinking this would be a long day, and hearing Caedmon's Call's "Walk With Me." Here is a goofy video of it: I always admire how well Danielle performs when pregnant. Long night w/sick toddler, appointments to make, IT issues to resolve on behalf of others... My thoughts were punctuated like my plodding steps in the pre-dawn house: One. Day. At. A. Time. I felt like I really just needed to get to my quiet time - it felt vital. It really does restore my soul. I found a little treasure in Psalm 19. It's about the sun, which is "like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes it circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat" (5b-6). I'm not sure what part gets to me the most. I think part of it is that even the sun just does his thing one day at a time, but he does it really well. I think it's also knowing that a day can only be so long - we'll get through it. Walk with me empty; walk with me strong. This is going to be one of those more empty days, I think, but I am praying for the Lord to supply what I need.

Ten minutes to blog about our dog

I told the kids they had ten more minutes to play outside, and then it would be time for stories, naptime, etc. We got a dog yesterday with some late Christmas money. Here he is.

I'd had my eye on him for awhile. I really expected that Stefan would take to him, but it is Kyrstin who wants to bring him into the kitchen for meals, and bounce around the house on Blue, for that is what she has named him. I know this is a little snarky, but I can't resist commenting on how much we enjoy this kind of dog. No barking, no poop, no upkeep. We will have to clean his paws from time to time, and that's it. I can walk around barefoot in my yard without the concern that I might have missed something. Seriously and non-snarkily, this is a cool toy. It's made of a a durable, non-smelly molded rubber of some type, is less expensive than the Rody, and can hold up to 250 pounds, which means that I can bounce on him with one of the kids if I feel inclined. It's fun. Happiness is a bouncy blue dog.

It's not easy being Jeeves

Here is my prepared "English Breakfast" in front of the computer where I'm writing.

My overnight plan didn't go exactly as I'd expected; the bread machine was so loud at 3:30 this morning that it woke me up, so I moved it into the guest bathroom where the sound would be least bothersome to the family. Just to ease your mind, this is a bathroom where the toilet and bathtub are behind a separate door. The smell worked out exactly as I'd hoped, though I noticed there was no coffee smell. That is because I programmed my coffeemaker for PM instead of AM. Anyway,at 7:30, here's what I had.

My 1 1/2 lb. loaf of bread and my 4-cup pot of coffee (I was only making the coffee for me). Doesn't that hunk of bread look great? The kind of big bulk that makes you want to sing, "Let us break bread together on our knees." This is the kind of bread that in biblical times could be placed on a table and everyone just pull off a chunk to eat. In fact, I am told people still do this in the middle east. Well, like I said before, I was feeling British, so it needed to be sliced. You know what's the greatest thing since sliced bread? Me, either, but I can understand why that moment split culinary time. Slicing the bread is no easy chore now if you don't have the right knife. I have this small serrated knife that required two separate sawings per slice - one on each side. I wonder when sliced bread came out and when electric knives came out. I often wonder about pre-industrial, pre kitchen-full-of-time-saving-gadgets women and/or their help. Well, I sliced two thin slices for my kids, which turned out kind of uneven, and then sliced two big chunks, which I realized was a much better shape when you can do it. Here are the non-kid slices.

Here are the kids.

Sitting out were the butter, jelly, eggs, microwave steamer bowl, bread machine pain, coffee, and a can of peaches. By 9 A.M. I sat down with the above breakfast. Thinking of all of the conveniences I had, and how long it still took me, my hat is off to all of the house help at Pemberley and Longbourn (no E).

Every good and perfect gift

I am now the proud owner of a bread machine. I shall make bread with it. Oh, the bread! I will probably be sharing pictures. I only specifically asked for three things for Christmas, and really didn't think I'd get the third. I did get 2/3. The other thing I got was a nice pair of jeans. I may need to exchange them, but they are indeed nice jeans, so I officially got what I wanted. I was thinking this morning about James 1:17: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows"(NASB). So much thought and preparation goes into a good gift. I would like to become more like the Father in the year 2012 in that I am more prepared to give good gifts, whatever they might look or feel like. This is only possible if I believe and receive the blessings God wants to give me. I've been thinking about the Sara Groves song "Open My Hands," which you can listen to here: Open My Hands This song is in a way a cheerful companion to "Like a Lake," a song from a previous album about the struggle to keep one's heart open after a grievance. "Everything in me is tightening," says the latter song, "curling in around this ache/ I will lay my heart wide open / Like the surface of a lake." "I believe," begins "Open My Hands." That is the key to staying open. I believe in a blessing I don't understand I've seen rain fall on wicked and the just Rain is no measure of his faithfulness He withholds no good thing from us. If I'm going to stay broken and open, I have to believe that He isn't going to withhold from me. Even if at times I feel need, which is something the rest of the song addresses. Even if I feel like I'm the last one on everyone else's Christmas list, and I end up with re-gifted socks. On a lighter note, while the kids are sleeping, I am baking Jesus' birthday cake. This is helping Kyrstin understand what Christmas is about. I am pondering now how to do the candles. I'm sure an idea will present itself.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

 

We saw Santa last night. The kids were so happy. I got to see that glimpse of wonder I've heard tell of, when Kyrstin figured out that Santa was right there. Stefan did well, too. I brought him up to Santa, and he turned to look at the big guy and smiled. And we thought we'd have to hold him during the shoot. This picture will always make me smile.

Speaking of things that make you smile, this morning Kyrstin wanted me to read *All Things Bright and Beautiful*, which is this beautifully illustrated children's book with the words to the hymn. My last post was about a children's hymn. This one is, too; the content is pretty basic, but it is a happy theme and a beautiful book. I think this same author does other stuff - we read Let There Be Peace On Earth awhile back. Neither are doctrinally rich. It reminds me of something that CS Lewis said, which is that a children's book should have something to say that will matter to adults, as well. Well, I am not entirely sure Let There Be Peace On Earth does, bc it is kind of universalist, but ATBAT is just lovely, and it's true. As a bonus, each of these books has the written music along with the story of the author and song. This would be a good idea for future childrens' books.

Here's the Amazon link so you can see what the book looks like. Its the artwork that makes it work - all cut paper art.

Jesus, Joy of the Highest Heaven

I have a passion for Christmas music, new and old, and especially for new music that I think is good enough that it will have staying power and become "old" someday. I've heard a few new things this year that I think will have staying power. I think the Getty's "How Suddenly A Baby Cries" will hold on, but take awhile to become popular. I also like knowing the story behind a song. It's the Gettys' first Chrsitmas album and their first Christmas with a new baby. I'm sure that for them the Incarnation has taken on new meaning. This song, "Jesus, Joy of the Highest Heaven" is described below the video as a children's hymn. I'm not really sure of the difference between children's hymns and hymns for the rest of us anymore; maybe something to explore for a future post. In any case, I think having children makes you think differently about Jesus, "born as a little baby." I was actually talking to my daughter about how she was once in my belly like baby Jesus was in Mary's belly. This was a new concept to her. She likes it. I've shown her pictures. She has asked if she can get back in my belly. I explain that she is too big now. Here is the video, and below, a brief, non-sacred anecdote related to the above discussions. So, I told the kids, who were sitting in the dining area at their little table, to wait while I went to get the manger so I could talk to them about it. I was referring to pieces of our Fisher Price Little People nativity. When I got over to the nativity, which was just around the corner in the living room, I couldn't find baby Jesus at first. No big deal; last year we lost Mary for several weeks. I've gotten in the habit of praying out loud around the house for all kinds of things, especially when the kids are awake. So, I prayed, "Dear Lord, please help me find baby Jesus." And all of a sudden, I realized that it sounded like the premise of some kind of sermon illustration, Internet forward, or Hallmark movie. And the dread of being that made me pray even harder that I'd find him, and I did. He was down with the knock-off Little People mechanics in a drawer below the nativity perch. Now, I could really go on here about how Jesus would be with the lowly, etc., but that is not the point. Please. The point is that God helped me find the baby Jesus, and I went and talked to the kids about how Mary praised God for getting to be the mother of the most special baby ever. Happy ending.