Monday, Monday

(mmm mmmm, mmm mmmm...) So now that I have you all humming the Mamas and Papas, I guess I'll get to the real post!

Life continues to be a bit crazy here. Our little boy was running a fever, plus started complaining that his eye was "sticky" (yes, the beginnings of pink eye, but thankfully we already had medicine in the house :) So while we had our little family party on Friday (complete with strawberry shortcake and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), the gathering we had planned for Sunday has been postponed. I stayed home with the kiddos yesterday (hubby had to be at church to help with technical stuff for the Answers in Genesis conference), and we baked chocolate cake. No cupcakes - D specifically requested a BIG cake. With orange sprinkles (like Tony). So while we didn't have the actual party, we still had the party cake! (Although I should mention that for the jungle themed party the sprinkles will be masked off to make tiger stripes!)

I did head out on Saturday morning to the biannual consignment sale. The kids are now all set for the summer, plus I picked up some games. Operation Brain Surgery gets a thumbs up! I also did a quick grocery store run yesterday afternoon, and was quizzed by the lady in front of me as to how exactly I was going to use the 3 packages of tortillas I was purchasing. Kind of a strange conversation. (And for the record, we are big fans of quesadillas, enchiladas, and wraps. They're a great way to recycle leftovers!)

It's going to be a busy week - hubby will be at church tonight for the end of the conference, then has a meeting tomorrow night. Will be in NY on Wed and not back until late Thursday. And he flies out ridiculously early on Saturday for China. I have a number of things planned, too (including MOPS, dentist, kindergarten registration, and play dates) so I'm praying that we can all stay healthy. The past few days were quite nice weather-wise (and yes, the flowers I posted last week are actually from our yard) but today is rather cold and dreary, so it's a good day to stay inside and hopefully get some things crossed off the "to do" list.

One last funny story - I think our little boy is about to do some growing again as he's been ravenous lately. This morning after breakfast (2 pieces of toast, an apple and a piece of cheese) he asked if he could have chocolate cake. Um, don't think so! His follow up request? Leftover mixed veggies from last night's dinner. Yes, he was allowed a little bowl of those :) Have I mentioned that we have some wacky kids?!

Friday Funny

Just a little silliness for today - plus I have a funny story to share. I had dropped the kids off at a friend's house yesterday morning so I could go run errands. Well, when we were leaving there were two cop cars parked outside (investigating a call from someone across the street). Well, our son had run out of the house ahead of me, but then was half laying under the front of our car. I couldn't figure out what he was doing, but then he told me that he didn't want the police officers to find him and take him to jail. We had a little talk about how the police officers are our friends, and they keep us safe. And I don't think he needs to watch "Cops" with Daddy anymore :)

And by the way, our little man is turning 5 today!! It truly doesn't seem possible.

Could it be?!?

Awake, thou wintry earth

Fling off thy sadness!

Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth

Your ancient gladness!

~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

Random Thoughts

Well, you can officially add "putting drops in a 3 year old's eyes" to my list of least favorites. Holy schnikees, that's a tough job! I'm not even sure how much medicine actually stayed in there after all the tears... but her eyes do look better today, so I'll take that as a good sign.

In other thrilling news, I'm going out with the other MOPS steering team members tonight. We're going to Melting Pot, and I know we'll have a ball. I also have my "Mommy Morning out" tomorrow, and among other things will be picking up paperwork to register our son for kindergarten. Can't believe it's that time already!! And I'll be stopping by Dunkin' Donuts for coffee, so at that point I think I'll officially be "over" yesterday's trauma ;)

So what else is going on? Well, I've just finished paying bills and marveling yet again how quickly the money is gone. With oil, food, etc. all going up we've had to make even more adjustments. I've read some interesting articles on the food shortage lately - it's a complex chain, but obviously fuel prices is a biggie. But then there is the increased usage of biofuels (ethanol production will supposedly account for 30% of US corn crops by 2010 according to the BBC), changing diets in Asian countries so increased demand for beef, etc. You can read this report from the World Bank, as well as articles from Time and CNN. Is anyone else seeing worldwide famine in the future? End times are coming, people!

And on the topic of end times, I'm actually starting to wonder if Oprah - or perhaps one of her favored teachers - is the antichrist in training. I know I'm being a bit flippant here, but seriously, have you been paying any attention to what's going on? I happened to get a couple free issues of her magazine, and was flipping through one this weekend. One article was entitled "A Million Ways to Save the World" and highlights some "earthshaking, world-fixing ideas" (author's terminology). There are some lovely ideas, including education, healthcare, and fighting sex trafficking. But then I got to the Arcus Foundation. "Arcus is a private foundation that aims to achieve social justic for gays and lesbians, and to ensure the conservation of great apes." I actually started laughing when I read this - all I could picture was those silly commercials that feature storefronts with odd pairings. You know, "back waxing and live bait." But this is completely serious - further quotes from the article: "When you see a chimp comfort another chimp in distress by putting his arm around him, it's obvious that empathy is not unique to people; it is an evolved, inherited trait. If we could recognize that we are profoundly part of the natural world, we would likely treat animals and the environment with more respect and care." And this is being touted by Oprah, and I'm sure that thousands and thousands are now oohing and ahhing over - not to mention financially supporting - this wonderful foundation. Blech.

And then there are the book choices. The Secret. The New Earth. Oprah "took God out of the box" and starting searching "beyond doctrine" and realized that Jesus came to raise our consciousness (check out this video - it's lousy quality but worth listening to) Oh, and are you ready to "unblock the awareness of love's presence" and open up all the power and joy of a deeper awareness in your life? Then listen to Marianne Williamson so you can "become your own Teacher, with your own path toward peace, wholeness and love." Welcome to the church of Oprah. Scary, scary times.

Can we catch a break?!?

Warning: pouting ahead.

I was very excited to go to MOPS this morning. We had a men's panel scheduled to answer questions (all submitted at the last meeting just so things were all set ahead of time). Drove up to the church (on a tire that needs replaced and should be delivered later this week), and as we were pulling into the lot, our son says, "Mom, A's eye looks kinda yellow to me." I look back, and yep, there's definitely some goop in the corner. I wipe it off but don't think too much of it... but 10 minutes later there's more goopage. After the analysis of a couple other more experienced moms, we agreed it probably was pinkeye and I shouldn't have her downstairs with the other kids, so I packed up and headed home. It's a special kind of torture to walk out of a building knowing there are tables laden with yummy food and fresh coffee - not to mention loving people who are actually willing to watch the kiddos while I kick back. I seriously wanted to stomp my feet as I was leaving. But of course I couldn't ('cuz you'd better believe that the kids wouldn't be allowed to do that!)

A very small blip on the big picture, but it stunk. So now I'm waiting for the pharmacy to call to say our prescription is ready. And I'm giving thanks for insurance.

Resurrection Day Finery

A few shots of the kiddos from yesterday - we had a very nice celebration at church, then a low key day at home.

By the way, I found a book at the library that I'd recommend for grade school kids: On That Easter Morning. It ends with a great line: The dark power of death was defeated. God's own love lit the world on that Easter Morning.

Our Redeemer Lives!!

Easter Accessory

So what will all the best-dressed kids be sporting tomorrow? Why, bruising from a broken nose, of course!

Yes, our daughter managed to do this while bouncing across the couch (NOT a parentally sanctioned activity) and crashed into the arm. She had a good cry, and we wondered whether she had broken her nose. Well, the bruising tells the story (and yes, the eyes are now starting to blacken so she'll look particularly lovely for service tomorrow). Thankfully it's not bothering her in the least, so we haven't even taken her to the doctor.

So much for my visions of a lovely family picture tomorrow :)

Friday Funny

May you all have a blessed Easter - and remember what it's really all about (even if dying eggs is lots of fun :)

Other happenings

I just realized that I've neglected to share one VERY exciting event - our daughter is now potty trained!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd been working on this for a couple months now, and she'd do OK for a day or so and then just lose interest. We'd tried talking about it, losing privileges, etc. but she just wasn't having any of it. Well, about two weeks ago I decided to try the bribery route and bought a big pack of juicy fruit gum. Couldn't hurt, right? Well, as much as she wanted that gum, she still didn't want anything to do with the toilet. But then last Thursday - completely out of the blue - she announced she had to go potty. And she did (and yes, she asked for gum when she was done :). And she's had only one accident since (and that was in the bathroom, as she had just waited a bit too long). So here's my little ham with her sparkley Little Pony undies. I'm sooo excited to be removing diapers from the shopping list, especially since everything else has gone up in price - need to stretch those bucks!!

The pic of our son? Well, that's just because he was jealous after I took pics of his sister, and he wanted to show off the cool book on road signs we got from the library. He's really getting into the non-fiction stuff (and I've been eyeing up books on China for when Daddy goes on his marathon business trip).

I was also thinking that it's been a long time since I've shared a recipe. I had some seriously ripe bananas to deal with on Monday, and decided I didn't want to make my standard banana bread. I pulled a promising one off of allrecipes, and tweaked it to come up with this. I baked it in a bundt pan, but there's definitely more of a "bread" feel to it. The kids like it, so I guess it's a keeper :)

Banana Snack Cake

1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 small, ripe banana, mashed
1 c flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c wheat germ
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars, then add applesauce, eggs, vanilla, and bananas and beat until well blended. Add remaining ingredients (except for chocolate chips) and beat for 1-2 minutes. Stir in chips, then pour batter into greased pan and bake at 375 for approx 40 minutes.

I guess that pretty much brings you up to date on life around here. Still plugging away. And can you believe that Easter is this weekend?! Still need to pick up a few small items for the kiddos. As we've been talking about the story of Easter, our son is still a bit confused about the whole death and resurrection concept, but does seem to understand that Jesus had to die for our sins. Difficult ideas for a little mind to comprehend!

What's up?!?

First off, I just want to thank everyone for their prayers. We've definitely felt them over these past several days. What a blessing to be able to rest in the arms of our Savior.

We had some beautiful weather over the weekend, so I've been reassured that spring really is coming :) We were able to play outside and I even grilled. Today is gray and dreary, so it's time to do laundry and some more sorting/purging.

Hubby made it safely home, and things are returning to some degree of normalcy. He's back at work, of course, but thankfully is off on Friday so we're definitely doing some sort of family outing thing. Also need to figure out what we're doing for our son's 5th birthday, which is coming VERY fast. I had held off on planning anything until we knew hubby's travel schedule - it now looks as though he won't be leaving for China until April, so we're going to try to squeeze in a little party.

In other news, our friend who was hospitalized last week does seem to be improving, although they don't have a lot of answers yet. Sadly, on Sunday I learned that another friend has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully it's early and the doctor is very optimistic, but obviously it's still difficult. I'm still doing a lot of praying.

Finally, I'd like to share a bit more from the book Naked Fruit, this time about spiritual growth.

"God tills the soil of our lives until we begin to grow qualities that resemble his nature. By his interest and effort in us, we grow into holy orchards. By our own efforts, based on our own natures, we'll grow fruit of the flesh. It might be nice, but it won't look like Jesus. It won't be naked fruit. Our best efforts won't grow godliness, because the fruit of the spirit comes forth only from godly seeds... Our job in spiritual growth is to cooperate with the gardener."

Elisa Morgan goes on to explain what cooperation looks like: we're receptive, we endure pruning, and we stay connected. Kind of reminds me of something another famous person once said:

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." ~Jesus (John 15:1-5, NLT)

Guidance

When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
Both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
Or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
And attentiveness from one person
And gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G": I thought of God , followed by "U" and "I".
"God, "U" and "I" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
That I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

(received in an email from a friend)

Checking In

Just wanted to say hello. We're doing OK - the kiddos are officially on the mend (and quite literally bouncing off the walls). Dad's funeral service is today, so my mind is definitely elsewhere. There will be a service out here in a few weeks, so thankfully I'll be able to get to that one.

Things continue to be crazy, though. One of my great aunts passed away earlier this week - that's four family deaths in two weeks. Nuts, I tell ya. And a good friend of ours is currently in the hospital - he was diagnosed with pneumonia last week but it's not improving, was scheduled for a biopsy, and then was hospitalized yesterday afternoon.

So I've been praying a lot. Reading the word, and trying to focus on the fact that God is in control. My feeble human mind may be spinning, but He is sovereign.

Oh, and the flowers? They're from our church family - and can I just say that family is definitely the right word. They've been such a blessing! And the flowers are a lovely bright spot... our son was SOOOOO excited when they were delivered yesterday. He spotted the deliveryman walking up to the house, and started shouting, "There's a party coming!" How can you not laugh at that exuberance?!?

Blessed Be Your Name

Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say:
Blessed Be the Name of the Lord...

You give and take away,
You give and take away,
My heart will choose to say
Lord Blessed Be Your Name

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. Psalm 62:5

Hard Day

The past 24 hours have been crazy. Yesterday afternoon, I received a call from my SIL to tell us that my hubby's Dad had been taken to the ER. A couple hours later, she called back to say that he was going to be admitted for some further testing, but it didn't look like it was a heart thing. A few hours later, he was gone.

This was totally out of the blue, and I don't think it's really "hit" any of us yet. My hubby is now on a plane, heading to Arizona. The kids are still not healthy, and our son is continuing to run a fever so taking them along and/or leaving them with others really wasn't an option. Present plan is that he'll fly home on Monday. Please pray for the entire family - we're all in shock, and simply focusing on what needs to be done. This next week - and many more after - are going to be hard.

Here are a few pics:

Back in his bachelor, air force days

And here he is with Mom on his lap (taken at our rehearsal dinner, June 96)

Meeting our little girl (9th grandchild) July 05

And hanging out with his crazy kids (June 06)

Good-bye, Dad. You'll be missed.

I'm ready for spring!!

Yet another round of sickness here at the D house. Our daughter was feverish and took a SIX hour nap on Thursday (and has napped every day since). She hasn't had a fever since Friday night, though, so she's definitely on the mend. By Friday afternoon, though, I was feeling "off." Saturday I felt like I'd been hit by a mack truck - every bone in my body ached, fever (complete with shaky bad chills), and just general misery. Felt a bit better by yesterday afternoon, but my fever went up again last night. So far today I'm feeling achey and congested, but generally better. I'm so thankful that my worst days were over the weekend so that my hubby could take care of the kids. Our son woke up with a fever this morning, complaining that his arms and legs hurt, so guess I'll be tending to him today. Man, I'm ready for this dreary winter (SICK) season to be over!!!!

I'd love to say <-- this is how I looked this weekend, but I'm afraid this --> is closer to the truth :)

Friday Funny

Click here for a laugh!

JibJab has some really fun stuff on their site - and the cool thing is that if you create an account (free!) then you'll be given 50 credits so you can play with their personalized "sendables." You don't use your credits until you hit send, so you can preview other stuff for free. The kids have gotten a big kick out of this! :)

Choosing Joy

We're having an interesting couple days - the kids are being really mean to one another, and I'm pretty sure that our daughter is getting sick (she's currently napping, which is definitely out of the ordinary). Learned of another death in the family. Started the process of getting that crown (so my mouth is now really sore) and also discovered we'd have to pay out of pocket rather and get reimbursed rather than paying directly out of our FSA account.

In the midst of it all, I've started re-reading Naked Fruit. I know it was used in MOPS, but it was before my time. Anyway, I finished the chapter on joy while I was eating lunch. Some thoughts to share:

"Happiness comes from the root hap, which means chance. Happiness is circumstantial. It has to do with life going the way we want it to go and the feeling we experience when that happens...

The fruit of joy is confidence in God. Joy is confidence in God's grace, despite circumstances - despite what happens. Joy is the ability to hold up because we know we are being held up. Joy is the conviction that God is in control of every detail of our lives even when those details appear to be out of control...

Naked joy is vulnerable... It's not about us getting what we want when we want it. It's about God and his character - and what we really believe about him... Naked joy reveals to us what we believe about God. Further, it reveals what we believe about God to those who are watching and wondering how we'll respond when life happens to let us down."

I made this frame last fall, as a reminder to keep things in perspective when things don't go "my" way. It's in the kitchen, where I see it daily. I have so much to learn.

Resting and Recharging

Well, yesterday was our MOPS Spa Day. We all came in our jammies, and then we had a lovely time planned: a little ice breaker activity, and then four stations that allowed for some simple pampering and chatting. The moms all seemed to really enjoy it, and I'm thinking this may become an annual event. I was talking with a friend as we were milling around, and she shared that the day was really a blessing, and that part of her hadn't wanted to come to MOPS and "learn how to be better" - she didn't need to be challenged but simply refreshed. Seems that many of us are in the same place! Anyway, thought I'd share the little handout I prepared (it includes the recipes that I used to create several of the stations - and of course I'll be adding my 2 cents now :)

Personal Pampering

OK, we all know how crazy life gets… but taking just a few minutes for yourself can be a good thing. Here are a few ideas:

Exfoliating Hand Scrub (also great for feet!) – Combine 1 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup honey, 2 Tb brewed tea and 2 drops vanilla. Massage into hands, then rinse off. Follow up with a good lotion. This works best if your hands are just a bit wet first. The moms were really skeptical about this, but it really does work!! You don't need much, so you could store this in a covered container in the fridge and just nuke for a few seconds when you want to use it. And if you don't already have a great lotion, I'd highly recommend Neutrogena Hand Cream. That little tube lasts forever!

Facial – Mash up a banana and spread over clean face. Allow to sit for ten minutes, then wash off.

Foot Massage – Cover the bottom of a basin with marbles, smooth stones, or even golf balls. Cover with approx 2-3 inches of warm water, then soak your feet. Roll your feet across the bottom for a gentle massage. For an extra special touch, add a drop or two of essential oil, tea, or fresh herbs (mint is great!).

Chocolate Milk Bath – Combine 1/2 cup powdered milk, 1 Tb unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle into your bath – bonus points for bathing by candlelight! (This also makes a very nice gift – make a large batch and package it up into small bags or jars) This supposedly is used at the Hershey Spa - I'm not sure whether that's true, but I will say that it smells heavenly. This seriously would be a great gift for a friend: baby food jars or frappucino bottles make great containers!

Hot Oil Hair Treatment – Combine 2 Tb olive oil and 1 Tb honey in small plastic sandwich bag. Warm bag by placing in a mug of nearly boiling water for 30 seconds. Apply warm oil to DRY hair, working it all through your hair. Cover your head with a shower cap or damp warm towel & leave for 15 minutes, then wash hair as usual.

And the best way to rejuvenate? Take some time to read your Bible and pray. Your Heavenly Father does not want you to be stressed out!

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls. Matthew 11:28 (Amplified)
- - - - -
We also made lip balm using the base from Majestic Mountain Sage. We used the vegan one, and it feels so rich and creamy. Love it! In fact, I may make up some more of it to use as Christmas gifts. We finished off the day with our Mentor Mom sharing from Psalm 61:1-2:
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer
From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

What a blessing to have that rock to cling to. It's so easy to become overwhelmed by life's circumstances, but thankfully the Lord is so much bigger than all of that. He is unchanging, unaffected by pounding rain or battering waves.

EDITED TO ADD:
I just received word that one of our MOPS moms had a fire (electrical issue in their basement) last night - thankfully their home was not completely destroyed, but they did lose all their kids' toys as well as other precious things, and they'll have to stay in a hotel for at least a month while the damage is repaired. A very vivid reminder that nothing in this life is certain. Please pray for the K family.

Philly-Land

OK, I know I'm amazingly chatty today, but we use msn as our homepage, and this caught my attention.

Such a proud moment.

(I do want to clarify that we are in suburbia-land, but people do tend to lump this entire region together. And well, we're not exactly known for our graciousness.)

Signing off from (near) The City of Brotherly Shove

Contentment, Materialism, "Needs" and other babblings

I came across this quote last week:

"Patience to wait does not come from suffering long from what we lack but from sitting long in what we have." - Beth Moore

A lot to chew on there; patience is definitely something I need to work on. But this quote also said a lot to me about contentment. (Along the lines of Sheryl Crow: "It's not having what you want, but wanting what you've got" :) This is another area I struggle with, because I'm always thinking of things we could do to the house, items I'd like our kids to have, etc. But all that SHTUFF is just foolishness (to quote Niecy from Clean House - who our son very seriously suggested last night could help us pick up all our clutter)...

And yesterday's message was about giving. A really good reminder that it's all HIS. Whatever we may have is only through his amazing grace, so why on earth am I being greedy? Two more great quotes to ponder:

"A checkbook is a theological document; it tells who and what you worship." - Billy Graham

(cough - craft supplies - cough, cough)

"I have held many things in my hands and have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God's hands - that, I still possess." - Martin Luther

I Timothy 6 says so much about money, and keeping the proper perspective. It sort of kicks off with verse 6: "Godliness with contentment is great gain." It culminates in verses 17-19:

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everythign for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."

I definitely want to "take hold of the life that is truly life." This entire passage will be on my daily reading list for awhile.

So where is all this coming from anyway? We've recently been evaluating the budget and making adjustments. Not a fun task, but very necessary. And frankly I'm having a hard time with it. I've had a lousy attitude, and have been acting like a spoiled child (and I've been reminded that our 3 YO comes by her amazing ability to pout quite honestly). But God - and my husband - is gracious. And I'm learning, even if it's millimeter by millimeter. And let me tell you, God continues to amaze me by providing even things that are completely unnecessary.

Meet our entertainment center. We purchased it when we'd only

been married a few months. It was affordable (cheap to start with, plus we purchased it at a going out of business sale!) - one of those particle board items that comes in a huge, flat box. It's met our needs, but is in rough shape. The last time we had to move it (to replace some wires) it nearly snapped in two. The bottom drawer had broken years ago. And then you'll notice the lovely spot on the bottom where our son had picked off the sticker that we'll generously refer to as veneer. It's huge, and has become the landing place for all sorts of junk. We didn't like it, but we weren't about to purchase another one.

Enter Freecycle.

Yesterday afternoon, hubby was checking email and mentioned that someone had posted an oak entertainment center, with armoire type doors to cover the TV. Would I like it? Of course! But I figured it would already be taken - I've responded to these types of postings before, but they're always gone very quickly. But the poster replied that it was ours. So we all loaded up in the truck, and headed over. Spent last night figuring out what fit where, and doing some purging. Still not done, but it already looks so much better!

Here you can see the stacks that are still around our couch area. Guess what I'm working on today?

Anyway, I went to bed humbled, reminded that God does so much more than meet our needs. He is a loving Father, and He delights in giving to His children - that's not always material things, but this cabinet that I see every day will serve as a reminder.

Our little girl

Snapped a few pictures of our daughter yesterday before we left for church. She has changed so much in the past 2-3 months, and all traces of toddlerhood are gone. She's a little girl.


I'm not quite sure what she was doing when I snapped this first one - but I love how she looks so pensive. But the zany screwball is well-represented in the second shot :)

Those days...

Woke up on the wrong side of the bed,
The wrong side of the room,
The wrong side of the world.
Can’t put my finger on the mood.
It’s not melancholy, anger or the blues.
I love my husband, my house, my job.
Couldn’t be any better, and really what else is there?
Then I realize I’m forgetting God, and that’s the root of all my misery.
Lord first of all, how is it between you and me?

Chorus:
How is it between us?
How is it between us?
When did I talk to you last, and what has happened since?
How is it between us?
How is it between us?
When did I talk to you last, and what has happened?

When I wake up I am on my way, reinventing the wheel and saving the day.
I have learned this lesson a thousand times, I am the branch and you are the vine.
Apart from you we are mice and men,
With our fancy dreams of grandeur and no way to get there.
Oh I can think about you now and then, or I can make a mark on eternity.
Lord first of all, how is it between you and me?

Chorus

So let the wicked prosper,
Let the oceans roar,
Let the mountains crumble,
And fall into the sea.
There’s something more important weighing on my mind.
Lord first of all, how is it between you and me?

Chorus

The song “How is it between us” by Sara Groves (off the album Conversations) is always a good reminder for me. I so often go about my day, crossing off things on my mental to do list, but don't stop to pray until things start unraveling. When will I ever learn?!?

Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.
For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;
Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart.
I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 86:1,3-6, 10-12

(originally posted on my Y!360 blog May 19, 2006. Why rewrite something that I'd already expressed?)