Blender-Ready Breakfast

I am beginning to get used to my new mixer/blender. Very used to it. When it came, included in the package was a book of recipes especially designed to be used with the Bosch mixer. We have found a couple that we really like! I see no reason you couldn't make these in any old blender, so I thought I'd share!

Blender Pancakes

Put 1 c milk in blender

Add 3/4 c wheat kernels

Blend on high, 4 minutes

Add:

2 eggs

2 T honey

1/4 c oil (we use melted butter)

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Blend until mixed.

Cook on griddle.

YUM!

Since this batter is a little thinner than your typical pancake batter, we put it into our 2 c Pyrex measure and pour it out onto our big ol' cast iron griddle. This is a fantastic way to get the benefit of your whole grain without the need to grind it ahead of time.

Instead of plain old orange juice, I made "Orange Julius." In order to make this, you have to get over the thought that milk and orange juice don't mix. Instead, think of a nice yummy creamsicle. We thought of our friends Marlin and Darla, who make a similar drink and serve it in lovely gobblets after the children are in bed. Here is the recipe:

Orange Julius

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1 (6oz) can frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 cup sugar (we used ~1/3)

1 tsp vanilla

12 ice cubes

Add ingredients to Bosch blender.

Pulse momentarily 5 or 6 times.

Blend on high till smooth.

The only problem we had with this recipe is that we didn't have a 6 oz container of OJ concentrate; we only had a 12 oz. So, what do we do with the left overs? Make another batch!!

Indians in the House

Throughout the day, I usually am mother to a vast array of people and creatures. I often have baby goats, baby kittens, big lions, and water buffalo. I'm sure to find at least one little dog crawling around at some point during the day and not a day passes without a heard of wild horses galloping across the plains of carpet. When I don't have creatures crawling I have soaring cowboys on flying horses or indians creeping. Other times I have gypsies driving a great couch car across the ocean to Africa.

This morning, as I was luxuriating in bed, I heard the pitter-patter of little Liam feet coming from the boys' bedroom. From downstairs came a soft whistle, a call from the Papa Indian (who had gotten out of bed a short while before.) A soft, excited whisper of "Papa!" answered the whistle, then the little footsteps rapidly thumped down the stairs. It wasn't long till little Phinny Indian arose and was also greeted by an indian whistle; he too crept downstairs with little stomps.

I was thinking how great a Papa my kids have - how fun and loving - and I decided to join my chief and my little indian braves. This squaw knows how to creep quietly so I snuck down the stairs. As I descended, my nose was greeted with the sweet smell of homemade incense: mullein leaf mingled with pine needles to chase away a nasty cold that is trying to settle in our chests.

I have a whole collection of dried mullein plants that I harvested from the hill behind my father-in-law's house at the end of the summer; he sure had a bumper crop! They are hanging upside-down out on the front porch. At anytime, I can go out and grab some leaves and part of the stalk and set fire to them. They smolder fairly nicely and fill the house with a sweet smelling smoke that, amazingly, begins to break up the nasty phlegm that tries to reside in your chest. Mullein will help break up a tight cough and also expedite the drying up of a loose, lingering cough. It is a fantastic herb! You can also combine it with coltsfoot or pine needles to enhance the cough-kicking properties.

So, this family of gypsy-indians sat around the table this morning smelling sweet mullein and eating yummy apples and sipping tasty coffee.

Catch Up...

A friend of mine recently had a “Catch Up” post on her blog, so I thought I would follow suit. Where have we been? What have we been doing?

Well, we’ve been at home, most of the time. And apart from the usual repetitive business, we’ve been getting ready for Christmas! Lets see. On Friday, my mom (Mima) and my Aunt (the one that gave us the super cool sled) came over to make cookies. Aunt Chris has a huge collection of cookie cutters that are super fun. She has a car, an aardvark, an itty-bitty piglet, a teapot, a hammer, a loooong necked goose, a moth, some funky birds, a trout and many many more that I can’t remember. Not only does she have a fantastic collection of cookie cutters, but she made me feel not alone in this world: she forgot to bring the cookie dough that she had made the night before! She felt pretty awful, as I would have, but the kids could have cared less. Abigail and Phinehas pulled out the paper and colored pencils and while I mixed up a couple batches of dough, Chris, Mima and the kids traced the cookie cutters and made fun pictures. Then we made the cookies, and even burned a batch (since I, again, forgot to set the timer – the birds got those). That was fun.

In the afternoon while the kids were sleeping and the Carpenter became I.T. support for some friends of ours, I went sledding. There was barely a sugar dusting of snow, but it was more than enough for ‘Snow Skimmer’ (I also thought to name the sled ‘Buttercup’ but ‘Snow Skimmer’ sounds more adventurous). After a couple runs down the hill I had a fabulously frightening idea: I should tramp into the woods and go down the logging road that follows the BIG hill behind our house! So off I went, with much fear and trepidation. I had visions of myself splattering into tall trees or being launched into the crisp air – finally flying – only to rapidly meet my demise as the ground came up to meet me. But, I pressed on. To get to the bottom of the logging road you have to follow a short path that the Carpenter bushwhacked earlier this summer. It goes through a lovely stand of black raspberry bushes that we frequented in sunny weather; now it is a tangle of thorny brambles, just waiting for the wayward sledder! This little path takes a slight turn to the right as it connects to the logging road, which has a gentle incline for a short way. It then rapidly rises until it crests ‘Heart Attack Hill’ far off in the distance (‘Heart Attack Hill’ is what the local hunters call the hill behind our house, since it is so steep). Where the gentle incline meets the beginning of the rapid rise there was a long tree laying across the path. “Ahhh! A way of escape from my folly!” said one part of me. The other part, the part with long, stubborn mule ears, let go of the sled and in a heroic effort, moved the tree to the side. I then went up the hill. I went up a very short way. A very, very short way. But it was enough for me! I settled on my sled and skimmed down the snowy hill weaving around the trees that were trying to grab me. At the bottom, where the logging road meets the bushwhacked path, I chickened out and put on my ‘breaks.’ I probably could have made the turn, but the vision of me splattering on trees prevailed over all stubborn daring. Very pleased with myself, I stomped out of the woods and went for another run down the hill that ends in the road before going inside to my lovely family.

That was Friday.

****

On Saturday we went shopping. I won’t go into the tedious details of this venture, but I did want to mention that the Carpenter is exceedingly amazing: Since the Temple of Materialism and Unfair Commerce (aka WalMart) was swarming like an anthill, I went in all by myself. Andrew took all four children to Wegmans. They wandered around, finding the Ritz crackers and Nabisco Chocolate Wafers and playing with the live lobsters for and hour and a half. Yes. I was trapped in brain-sucking Wally-World for 1 ½ hours, and that was WITH a list! (I am certain that they lay out their store in such a manner that everything is in obscure places requiring you to walk throughout the ENTIRE store more than once while vainly trying to find what is on your list. That is when MOST people abandon their lists and pick up things they didn’t know they needed.) I managed to escape with almost everything I intended to get (they just don’t have warm fuzzy socks for kids!) and I still had a few brain-cells that hadn’t succumbed to the electromagnetic waves and the glare of the fluorescent lights. Anyway, I’ve never been so happy to go to Wegmans!

****

On Sunday, we went to a Christmas Party with Andrew’s mom’s side of the family. It was very nice to visit with people we hadn’t seen in ages. The children had a good time playing with the children from other growing families.

****

Now, we are counting down til Christmas! Our house is quaintly decorated with candles and greenery, white paper snowflakes and snowmen (and a worm that Phin made out of a bunch of white circles), and a big ol’ kid-colored poster filled with different details surrounding Jesus’ birthday. Abbi has been wrapping the various little homemade gifts that she has been working on. Phinehas keeps drawing picture for his Papa… and then cutting them up with the scissors; I need to help him finish one of these ‘projects’. I am trying to keep the house looking somewhat quaint and clean while finishing up the last bits of baking, and I need to work on making Jesus’ birthday cake (Abbi’s idea) – we all are certain that He would love an ice cream cake, and none of us object!

Enjoy Jesus’ Birthday, everyone!

Thinking on Children - Reproof

“The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings a mother to shame.” - Proverbs 29:15

Day in day out I am thinking about my children; how couldn’t I? Currently, they are my life. I wake to the sounds of children, their laughter following me throughout the house as I begin the morning. I eat breakfast with sleepy eyes while vibrantly awake children sit next to me, filled with energy I never had. Children flock around me as we do morning chores, children run around as we have school time, children ask constant questions, chatter endlessly, and yes, children act childish. Children sing, children jump, children flit from one thing to the next. Children share and sometimes they don’t, children give and sometimes they take. Children play with each other and children push each other away. How on earth am I to direct these children?

Frequently I find myself asking the Lord why He didn’t provide a manual with each child. They are so different! How can such different personalities, different characters, different little beings come from the same two people? And I only have four! Daily I need to ask for wisdom: wisdom to answer Phinehas’s many questions, wisdom to understand Abigail’s emotions as they are slowly being unveiled (O! How they mirror mine!), wisdom to know what on earth Liam is saying, even wisdom to know why Lydia is fussing. I yearn for wisdom to direct and guide my children as they grow, leading them towards independence and the ability to stand on their own two feet. I need wisdom to equip them to face challenges yet unthought of, for who can tell what the future holds for this generation of little children? My mind often focuses on the final product, always looking for the end in view, yet so frequently forgetting the process. Now, I do believe it is very important to have an end in view; otherwise, how can you know which path you want to take today? Which brings me full circle: Day in day out I am thinking about my children.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how most parents I know want the similar things at this phase in life: Don’t whine. Don’t scream. Please share. Do NOT hit your brother. Please stay on task!!! Speak kindly, please. Tell the truth. Pick up your toys. And on and on it goes! It seems to me that it is not enough to want these (and other) things. It is not enough to discipline when a child does what is wrong. I need to instruct and direct my children to act and speak rightly. I can say “Don’t whine” or “Please share” till it echoes off the walls and hills around me, but I need to realize that my children don’t come with that natural tendency! Naturally, they whine. Naturally, they are selfish. Naturally, they speak harshly. Naturally, they look out for themselves. Don’t we all? We just have found ways to do this (and other things) in ‘socially acceptable’ manners. Ouch. It seems that as I teach my children, the Lord is teaching me.

So, what do I need to do? Well, instead of flying off the handle each time they misstep, I need to slow down (where have I heard that before?) and teach them, training them to do the right thing. For example, when each child was little we wanted them to be able to ask for something without fitting. So, we taught them to say, “please” in sign language. For the LONGEST while (longer with some than with others) this consisted of myself or the carpenter saying, “No whining. Say, ‘please may I have my drink?’” Then we would take their little hand and make them sign ‘please.’ “Good boy! Here is your cup!” Very tedious, but very worth it.

Somehow I had lost sight of this lesson. I have found myself getting fed up when the children forget how to properly interact with each other. I find myself acting and speaking with frustration rather than with patience and love – and that is NOT what I want to teach! I know that I need to take the time to walk each child through the tough moments of their day, showing them how to handle their emotions, their wants, their hurts, their fears. I need to equip them to turn to Jesus and ask Him for wisdom, to ask Him for help to do the right thing. I can’t just demand that they do the right thing when, frankly, they don’t naturally know how. But then, once they DO know how and have shown that they are capable of doing and saying the right thing, they need to be held accountable. Often a simple reminder such as, “Abbi, your voice is getting angry; please change your heart” works wonders. Other times I need to get on the floor with Phin and Liam and walk them through some tough interaction, showing them what to do and telling them what to say: “Liam, do not whine and through a fit! Say, ‘Phinny, please stop!’ (‘Inny, eese OP!’) Good. Now say, ‘May I please have my tractor back?’ (Eese, actr ack?) That is better. Lets try again.” Sometimes everyone (mama included) simply needs a break. When I sense a little to much heat in the air I often will say, “OK, children! Time to clean up!” Or, I will call the perpetrator to me for a timeout next to my feet (especially when they know better).

So, that is what I’ve been thinking about lately! “The rod and reproof give wisdom.” I don’t know what reproof really is; I couldn’t find it in the dictionary. But to me, reproof is taking the time to correct improper behavior by showing my children what the proper behavior is. Just like I can’t tell Abbi to go to the piano and play Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven without first teaching her the basics, I can’t tell my children to be kind without teaching them how. Someone once told me that training is like a train with many cars: Doing the same thing over and over and over again… and then again. O God, grant me the right tools to train up my children!!!

Yipeeee!!!

We had a lovely weekend! Some friends of ours from Pennsylvania came to visit. We spent Friday evening playing Settlers of Catan and staying up way too late. Then, on beautiful Saturday, we went sledding!

You should have seen it outside! On Friday night we had a mini snow storm so there was a fresh blanket of soft whiteness, glistening with winter snow fairies. The cloudless sky was an immense sea of brilliant blue that took your breath away. The combination of bright blue and sunlit white was dazzling; it was the winter day that everyone yearns for in the heat of summer. So, after taking a terribly long time to bundle up all the kids and the parents, we trudged outside. The cold was crisp and fresh, but not too biting. The kids took off as fast as they could, kind of like overstuffed snow bunnies that decided hopping was too hard and instead waddled like ducks. Liam especially looked like a little Ewok with a full-faced grin.

We grabbed our runner sled, compliments of my Aunt Chris, and thought about how we could get a nice path worn down in the powdery snow. Being way too lazy, we decided to wing it and see if the sled would work without any effort. And WOW! Did it ever! Andrew took Abbi and Phin down for the trial run and barley stopped before flying out into the road! Then it was our friends’ turn. They dodged the trees and avoided going into the road as well. Finally, after what seemed like ages to this little kid trapped in a Mama’s body, it was my turn. The Carpenter had me sit in front of him so that I could see all the trees he was weaving around. I think I screamed the whole way down.

I tell you what, if you live anywhere near us, you NEED to come visit sometime this winter. I have NEVER had so much fun! We have the best hill ever and the coolest sled this side of the 21^st Century. All I could think about was the story from the Laura Books about when Pa was a boy: He and his brothers had built a runner sled, finishing it just before Sunday. On Sunday, when no fun was allowed, they quietly snuck outside to try the sled while their Father was dozing. They drug it up the hill and quietly got situated. Then, as they were picking up speed, a family pig stepped in the way of the sled and ended up getting a ride. It squealed the whole way down the hill (kind of like me) and past the house with Father’s face in the window. Oops!

Anyway, I think I had more fun than the kids. Andrew said I should go sledding everyday as a part of my new exercise program (that hill is a killer!). I think that will have to wait for naptime!!!

A Joyful Noise

Last night we were all gathered in the living room singing some songs before bed. We had started off some more lively songs, then slowed down to Step by Step (by Rich Mullins). Step by Step is one of the children's favorites. It goes:

O God, you are my God

And I will ever praise you!

O God, you are my God

And I will ever praise you!

I will seek you in the morning...

And it continues. We sang that a bit, then moved on to an even more quiet song:

Draw me, Draw me, Lord...

Well, as the Carpenter, myself, Abbi and Phin were singing, all of the sudden a little Liam voice rose above all and shouted out, "O GAWG are mieee GAWG!!!"

I held it together until Andrew let out a little chuckle, then I lost it completely! We all laughed and laughed!

What fun, what fun!!!

Fresh Morning Mercy

Well! It has been a little while since I’ve posted anything! I had written a post Monday morning but decided not to post it. It seemed a little to intimate, a little to revealing… and the Carpenter said I was being too hard on myself. Suffice it to say I had been in a “Mommy Rut” for most of the past weekend. I had severely lacked kindness and gentleness – among other Fruits of the Spirit – and hadn’t been the nicest Mama. Fortunately, I am learning to say, “I’m sorry” to my dear children. It is amazing how quickly they forgive! My heart wept when my not-so-little five-year old put her gentle arms around my neck and said, “I forgive you, Mama” when I told her it was wrong of me to have yelled in anger.

The song Great is Thy Faithfulness is dear to my heart:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee!

Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not,

As Thou hast been Thou forever will be!

Great is Thy faithfulness,

Great is Thy faithfulness,

Morning by morning, new mercies I see!

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

And Monday morning I was walking fresh in His mercy, gratefully washed anew by His Holy Spirit and the prayers of the Carpenter over his wife. I want to be, to my children, like the Lord is to me: filled with compassion, not changing in character, constantly faithful and kind. I am so thankful for the Faithfulness of my Lord! When I turn to Him He does not withhold Himself! When I’m in need of His grace, He pours it out. When I ask for wisdom, He freely gives it. When I call for help, He comes, able and ready. All I have needed He has provided. Thank you, Lord!

****

So, what have we been doing with new mercies, fresh each morning? Well, drinking coffee for one thing! And this morning I even ate a Lemony Christmas Cookie … of course before the kiddos got up (actually, I ate a couple)! We’ve been decorating our house in anticipation of celebrating Jesus’ Birthday, baking bread and the afore mentioned cookies, reading books, making presents, and doing bits of school here and there (and, of course, laundry).

Abigail has started piano lessons. This is going better than I anticipated! I had been very nervous about trying to teach her piano. Finally, I just jumped into it; she had been expressing much interest and I didn’t want her desire to wane. I ended up talking to my mom about when I started learning – how much did I practice (10 – 15 min a day for starters), did she stand over my shoulder and make sure I practiced the ‘right’ way (no, she had no clue what I was doing anyway), should I demand perfection before moving on to the next lesson (no, that created much frustration in me, squelching my creativity). So, by the good grace of God, I’ve relaxed and am actually enjoying this! So is Abbi. She is flying through the lessons and even jumping ahead! Yesterday she even learned “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” as well as “The ABC’s” and “Baah, Baah Black Sheep.” She couldn’t WAIT to show Papa!

Phinehas is making Abbi a Christmas present – a beaded bracelet. I am once again impressed by that little boy! He was so focused and patient! He adds the beads and I am looping the thread around to make it a looped bracelet. He especially likes the fact that he has a shortened naptime!

Liam’s new favorite words are, “atch ME, Mama!” He wants me to watch him do all his new tricks. Its funny; sometimes he will ask me to watch him and then all he does is freeze in place. I’ll wait and when nothing else comes along I continue with the task at hand. Then, almost immediately, Liam asks me to watch him again. The process is repeated over and over till finally I have to say, “You need to DO something if you want me to watch!!!”

Lydia is crawling. Well… not conventionally. She inches while on her back, arching up then pushing with her feet. I do so wish I could get a picture of that! She’ll go all the way across the floor, turning when her head get hung up on something like the couch or a chair. The kids call her the inchworm!

Well, that is a little glimpse into our days, freshly filled with morning mercy! My “Mommy Rut” is over and I hope it stays away.

He Loves Me, Yah, Yah, Yah!!!

Yup. The Carpenter sure loves his woman!

Wanna see what he bought for me?

Now, bread making will be a breeze! And, yes, I've already used it!

It makes REALLY BIG batches of yummy bread. How fun!

Kid Talk

This morning over toast and eggs:

Phin - "Abbi, I'm going to tell you a funny joke."

Abbi - "OK!"

Phin - "What if a pig was yellow?!"

Abbi - "Hahahahah!!! Then it would be rolling in egg yolk!"

Together - "Hahahahahah!!!!"

Respect – How?

I have a dear friend who has come to a place in her marriage where she not only knows that she should respect her husband, but she also really wants to. She decided that she was going to step out of her ‘safety net’ and bow before her king, aligning herself beneath his headship. If you’ve never dared to do this, and I mean REALLY do this from the heart - not in mere outward action, then you may know the fear and trembling that was in her. She was absolutely CERTAIN that she would be unleashing a tyrant, a power-hungry dictator who would then walk all over her; she was SURE that by surrendering herself to her husband that she was absolutely nuts (and most today would have agreed). But, she did it anyway.

After she took only ONE initial step to demonstrate her genuine respect and reverence for her husband, she was absolutely astounded to be able to see for the first time ever that her Beloved earnestly desired from the first to love and cherish and adore her… but she had not been in a place to receive it for she had removed herself from the cover of his headship; she had refused to stand in a place where she could receive his love and care for her.

Her account of this experience has reminded me of a couple things:

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” – Luke 9: 23-24

In order for my sweet friend to enter into the beginnings of a glorious marriage, she had to deny herself. She was so afraid of respecting her man, for fear he would trounce on her, that it really was an act of ‘losing herself’ in order to find what she was looking for; if she had tried to preserve her own will and desire, she would never have found the abundance of love her husband had for her. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

“Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive… but blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear” – Matthew 13:14, 16

My friend had heard that the right thing to do was really respect her husband, to wholly honor him. However, until she stepped out into the unknown she couldn’t see the beauty of a marriage in right order. Though she had heard, she could not understand until she chose to blindly walk in obedience – then her blind eyes were opened and she received sight! Incredible!

*******

The “how’s” of respect will vary in each marriage. If I were to tell you the things I do and you were to try and emulate them, they probably would not work. The carpenter is a one-of-a-kind man, and the things he recognizes as respectful may be meaningless to your husband. However, there is one thing that I feel is a foundational key to respect and honor and, yes, even that misunderstood word, submission.

The Words You Speak

“She opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness” – Proverbs 31:26

I have been reading through Proverbs of late and I am absolutely astounded at how many verses give reference to our speech! When I take heed and pay attention to the words that come out of my mouth, making sure they are life giving and edifying, I am amazed at how much more peaceful my home and heart are. How true that “your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel.” (Proverbs 11:17) Yet, I am often appalled at how easy it is to say cutting, destructive remarks. How often my silent prayer is, “Lord! Help me to be ‘swift to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry!’ (James 1:19)”

You know how easy it is to casually tell a ‘funny’ story about a mistake your husband has made, even if it was years ago. You know how quickly conversation among women turns to revealing minor (and major) faults and flaws in their husbands. These things should not be! And how swift we are to give ‘helpful’ suggestions to our husbands regarding what they do, how they act, the choices they make. If you are honest with yourself, you will be able to admit that your ‘helpfulness’ isn’t anything more than mere nagging – and you wonder why your husband acts annoyed (Proverbs 19:13).

Each person will be called on to give an account for “every idle word” they speak (Matthew 12:33-37). That knowledge is enough to make me want to take a vow of silence! However, that wouldn’t be wholly profitable in the end. Instead, I need to call on the Lord and yield to His workings in my life. I need to daily “set my affections on things above (Colossians 3:2)” and seek wisdom that is from above (James 3:17-18). “If anyone does not stumble in word he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” (James 3:2 – indeed, read the whole chapter!)

Obviously, the words we speak affect each and every area of our life. I, as a wife, want to speak words of life to my husband. I want to be a joy and a crown to him, not sapping his strength (Proverbs 12:4 NLT). I want to obtain and keep his trust (Proverbs 31:11). I don’t want to be a fool, “venting all my feelings” but rather I want to be found wise, able to “hold my feelings back” (Proverbs 29:11).

So, I encourage you to take heed to the words that come out of your mouth. Are they a source of life, or is death and destruction in your tongue? I challenge you to not speak an unkind, harsh, or negative word to or about your man. Try it even for only a day or two. Check the words before they leave your tongue; if it is not profitable, don’t say it. You may find that you end up often silent – but that is better than tearing down your ‘house’ (your marriage) with your own ‘two hands.’ Guard your mouth and tongue and thereby keep your soul from trouble (Proverbs 21:23)

*******

Back to my dear friend: She is new to this “bridling of her tongue.” How easy it is to slip into old, familiar habits! If you are used to heedlessly giving voice to every thought that enters your head, this will indeed be a difficult change. My friend, though she has had her share of blunders, has not hardened her heart. She is able to recognize when the words she has spoken have been anything but respectful and she has humbled herself and asked for forgiveness from her husband. That, to me, is beautiful to see. She is giving one of the greatest gifts to her children – a home where Daddy and Mommy love and respect each other. When I hear about and see the change in her I see something majestic and stately: “There are three things which are majestic in pace, yes four which are stately in walk: … a king whose troops are with him.” – Proverbs 30:29-31

Are you with your man?

Early Morning, Late Morning

Today was an early morning for the carpenter and his wife. We rolled out of our toasty bed and tiptoed down stairs shortly before 5:00. The stillness and quiet of the pre-dawn house was enjoyable. After my man pulled away I had some moments to myself - sipping coffee, reading undisturbed, watching the gray dawn slowly wake the chilled earth. In fact, I had quite a few moments: for once all four of my children slept past not only 6:30, but even past 7:00 to the late 7:30!! Believe it or not, clockwork Phin was up last! He must have felt the slow, gray day and decided that under the cozy covers was the place to be!

Now, we are contentedly finishing our breakfast of sourdough bread, yummy fried eggs, and tasty tea! As we sit here, we are watching snowflakes as they gently swirl to the ground; it seems like winter is finally trying to creep in, now that December has arrived. The snow isn't preventing the birds from gathering at our feeders, nor is it stopping the squirrels as they scurry about wishing they could reach little the houses filled with tasty seeds. They need to content themselves with the seeds scattered by the messy bluejays - I'm sure they are not disappointed.

Today we will jump around to some good folk music, have fun with play dough, do some schooling, read some books. Maybe we'll venture into the crisp, cold, snow-filled air outside and run around with bright red cheeks and chilly noses. And of course, the nemesis ever waits for me...

The Marathon Weekend

We had a very busy Thanksgiving weekend, and though we are thankful to get back to ‘normal’ life, it was a delight to see so much family! It all started with Abigail’s birthday party, when my (Licia) family came for the day. Not only did we have a good time at the house with the children, but my mom, my sweet sister and myself all scurried out the door after the festivities and went to the Salvation Army Thrift Store – it was family day and almost all the clothes were half off! So, I completely switched out Andrew’s wardrobe, added a couple things to mine, and found a few more prizes for the birthday girl.

Thursday brought a morning full of preparing a few dishes to take to Andrew’s folks’ house for the big Turkey Day. Before we had our turkey dinner, Abbi had round two of her birthday gifts. As I said before, she received a pair of cowgirl boots (and a nice cowgirl outfit) but she also received a wonderful array of very crafty items that she has already tried her hand at – a little weaving set, beads to make necklaces, and some paint-your-own-ponies.

"Prizes for ME?!?!"

Cow Girl

Liamiah pushing Lilly

It wasn’t long until the majority of Andrew’s family started pouring in. Andrew is one of six children so now that they are all married there are twelve kids. Sarah, the oldest sister, waited a long time for Catherine (Kitty-Bob) the youngest; now both of them have four extra sisters – for better or for worse! In any event, we all have fun together. So, in the house for Thanksgiving Day there were nine grandchildren – 8 of which are age 5 or younger – and most of the twelve children. And, there was beloved GG: Great Grandma whose arms are always ready to hold any of her great grandchildren.

GG holding baby Lincoln

Andrew’s mom, Mary, did a wonderful job preparing ample amounts of tasty food – not only on Thanksgiving Day, but also on Friday and Saturday! Since most everyone was in from afar we made a weekend of it – lots of hunting, playing, watching mighty machine videos (and some girly tear-jerkers), playing with play dough, drawing, and good ol’ jibber-jabber. I’m sure the dishwasher paid for itself with all the dishes that were done! Mom did a great job of opening her house to all of us, making us all feel welcome. Thanks mom!

Lets see… Some highlights for our family were (1) Abbi’s boots, (2) Working in the Shop – our kids helped Andrew make a base for my piano table, (3) Tricks with Uncle Ben, (4) Story time with Aunt Sarah, (5) Play Dough – mom made a fresh batch on Saturday and I think it was played with almost all day, (6) an outing to Wegmans, (7) Sharing the fun toys that Grampa and Gramma have, (8) Seeing cousins, (9) Phin got to help cut up a deer, (10) Eating the deer meat that Phin got to help cut up… that is just a sample of the fun we got to have!

Now, believe it or not we didn’t get very many pictures. There were so many other cameras flashing all weekend that we didn’t really think to get ours out. But, we do have a fairly good shot of all the cousins lined up on the couch!

Lydia, Abbi, Angel and Ariel, Phin, Lincoln, Liam, Nathan, Micah

Phin and Lincoln

Hope you all had a fun Thanksgiving!

True Love

True Love is when we have baked potatoes for supper and the carpenter removes the potatoe skin from his potatoe, fills it with a generous portion of butter, seasons it with salt and pepper... then gives it to me - even though I already had one.

An Elegant Princess Is Now FIVE!

Wednesday, the 25th, was Abigail Dawn's birthday. She turned FIVE! I really can't believe it. 5 seems so... BIG! Four is, you know, just four! But five? Wow! My little girl is FIVE. And I've NEVER seen anyone so excited to have a birthday! We were planning for more than a week before the big day. Abigail knew exactly what she wanted to eat: Sticky buns (with pecans), bacon and eggs for breakfast; Pizza and salad for supper (pizza with pepperoni and olives and salad with little red round tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and the white dressing - poppy seed.) Oh - and she wanted an ice cream cake with a white snowman as decoration. And, she did NOT want to know even a hint of what prizes she was going to get. If Phinehas even began to mention something he wanted her to have she, with wide eyes and a very serious voice, would say, "Phin, don't tell me! Its supposed to be a surprise!"

Abbi's special day began with her FINALLY being able to wear her birthday skirt - as well as new leggings and a shirt AND a birthday crown of flowers.

When she was arrayed in all her five-year-old splendor, she and her Papa went on a date to Dunkin' Donuts. She wanted an iced mocha latte and a bagel (but ended up eating a gross donut). When they got back the table was all set up and we were waiting for our company. Since there was a little bit of a wait till they arrived, Andrew took the boys out to help clean up Abbi's big present - a bike (a hand-me-down from cousin Angel) Oh my! I wish I had a picture of her face as she was riding for the first time! Andrew was holding onto the back while she was peddling, as if in a dream - it is good Drew had a good hold on her; if he didn't, Abbi might have floated up to the clouds, bike and all!

Soon enough, the party company came for brunch - my parents and my sister and her family.

We all had a lot of fun eating yummy food and playing with the kids. Then Abbi opened her gifts. Goodness! I've never seen a child so thoroughly enjoy the process of peeling back the paper ever-so-slowly, then completely enjoying each present before moving on to the next one.

After gifts came cake! Andrew's mom divulged her secrets about how to make a very yummy frozen treat. It was a success!

For supper we had, of course, pizza! And salad. But the festivities were not yet over for the NEXT day Abbi had a whole new set of prizes from Andrew's family!!! Abigail hadn't been expecting anything so she was, as you can imagine, tickled! You'll get to see some of those pictures later. I do think Abbi's absolute favorite prize was the pair of cowgirl boots from Aunt Kitty and Uncle Kyle. She would have slept with them on, if we'd let her! Gone is our fairy princess, quickly replaced by the cowgirl queen from the wild west! How fun it is to have a girl!

Teaching By Example

My! I love my man!

In the early morning of each workday, I get to crawl out of our warm bed and tramp downstairs, all blurry eyed and dream filled. Hot coffee is waiting and, better yet, a warm ‘good morning’ embrace from the Carpenter.

My! I love that man!

He quietly readies himself for work and I quietly ready his lunch, trying to put in delightful treats that not only taste good but are also somewhat healthy. He is usually off 25 – 30 minutes later and I get to stand in the kitchen window watching him pull away. Each day my heart travels up the road with that man; he keeps it well.

My! I love that man!

When the kids get up an hour or so later, the first thing Phin asks is, “Where is Papa?”

“You know son.”

“At work in the city!”

Our children have, in their Papa, a wonderful example of a hard worker. Currently, we are working on teaching diligence to the children – that they may do a job efficiently and well. Actually, it seems like we’ve been working on this for a long while. Sometimes when Phinehas is unloading the dishwasher or sweeping under the table he’ll stop and, with his little chest all puffed out, say, “Am I a dil-i-gent worker, like my wonderful Papa? Am I doing a good job?” Often I can say, “Yes, son! You are doing a wonderful job! You’re growing to be an excellent worker, just like your Papa!” Sometimes I need to say, “Well… no not really. You’re just standing there talking about doing a good job. Hop to it and get working and when you’re done I’ll let you know if you did a diligent job or not.” He is learning, and it is a delight to see him progress (though, if I’m honest, I’d have to say that sometimes it tries my patience as it is a s-l-o-w process!)

Abigail has started doing the breakfast dishes by hand. Yes, we have a dishwasher, but the breakfast dishes are few and it is a good job for her. She is happily doing her job to be a blessing to Papa and to learn how to be a ‘good woman’ some day. When I compliment her, especially when I tell Andrew about her accomplishments, she glows from within! Yes, she is a wonderful helper to me, but I want to teach her how to be pleasing to her Papa – and one day, her husband. She is surely on the right path!

Speaking of Abigail, I now know how I sound when I sing. It isn’t as fair and as lovely as I had hoped! This past spring I had a very bad cough and it really messed up my throat (excuses, excuses!). Since then, I feel as though I cannot sing very loud, nor do I have any semblance of range (not that I had a good one, before!) Anyway, for those of you who know the song In Christ Alone, you may recall that there is a point that the melody jumps a little high: “… What heights of love, what depths of peace, when FEARS are stilled…” Well, when Abbi is singing she jumps about 3 octaves and screeches out the word “FEARS” in a backbone tingling, hair-standing-on-edge, eardrum-bursting squawk that makes me cringe. I want to stop my piano playing and tell her adamantly to stop goofing, each and every time! But, when I look at her little face I can see that she really isn’t trying to be funny! In my heart of hearts I know that she is, yet again, just emulating her mother… teaching by example.

Time to Stop...

This morning I was so blessed and amazed by my little girl – my little girl who is almost 5. As I was changing Lydia’s diaper in the bathroom, I heard the unmistakable *tink* of dishes being banged about. When I entered the kitchen, there was Abigail, with her wispy, bed-tussled hair and a sweet gentle smile on her rosy cheeks as she hummed quietly while emptying the dishwasher - of her own accord. What a source of joy she is to me! I wanted to gobble her up. But then, before the morning had passed, I found myself once more being utterly offended that AGAIN she was trouncing on and bullying her brother – especially when she was supposed to be doing a specific task! I was so frustrated and spoke more harshly than I should have, correcting her in anger rather than with calm justice. Why do I take simple childish things so personally? All I need to do is deal rightly with them as they come, rather than viewing each insurrection as a personal affront. Why is that so hard?

I don’t know. But I so want to change! I so want to have ‘the law of kindness on my lips.’ I so want to speak the truth in love – even and especially to my children! I so want healing to come from my mouth – not destruction. It so grieves me to hear the harshness of my voice echoing back to my burning ears. I wake every morning crying out again to the Lord to please, fill me, guide me, and help me to be swift to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

Yet, when I stop… when I pause and wait for Him… He does answer! And when I think back on the past five years of my life as a mama I DO see the marks of His fingers on my heart. I see the places He has molded, shaped and formed. I can look back on my life and see a small part of the picture He is tirelessly weaving, the story He is daily unfolding. I am reminded of His patience, His kindness, His goodness towards me. I know that as I continue to yield to His guidance, His hand, and the challenges He brings me, He will change me so that I am daily being conformed to His image. I then remember that when I stop… when I pause and wait for Him, He is there! Always ready to guide! It is only when I rush heedlessly ahead that I end up tripping on the pitfalls.

So… time to slow down. Time to take a breath and lift my eyes up. Time to stop and listen to the chirp of the birds out back. Time to stop… and fully look at the 1,000^th picture that Abbi has drawn today. Time to stop… and hug little Liam who always says, “I love you” with a “BOO!” Time to stop… and admire the latest engineering marvel built by young master Phinehas. Time to stop… and smile at a Lilly and watch her face blossom and bloom before my eyes. Time to stop… and adore and be adored by the man that has been given to me, my best friend, my closest companion.

Our Phenomenon

Phinehas: What is a phenomenon?

Me: Something amazing.

Phinehas: Do you think I’m a phenomenon?

Me: Why?

Phinehas: Because I’m cool looking and handsome looking and I ride on a flying horse.

Me: Yes, son. You are definitely a phenomenon!

See the flying horse below, as well as Abbi's banister horse.