Kings!

On the Christmas playlist for this year.....

DOWNHERE LYRICS – How Many Kings

Follow the star to a place unexpected

Would you believe after all we’ve projected

A child in a manger

Lowly and small, the weakest of all

Unlikeliness hero, wrapped in his mothers shawl

Just a child

Is this who we’ve waited for?

Cause how many kings, stepped down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

How many Gods have poured out their hearts

To romance a world that has torn all apart?

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn savior

All that we have whether costly or meek

Because we believe

Gold for his honor and frankincense for his pleasure

And myrrh for the cross he’ll suffer

Do you believe, is this who we’ve waited for?

It’s who we’ve waited for

How many kings, stepped down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

How many Gods have poured out their hearts

To romance a world that has torn all apart?

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Only one did that for me

All for me

All for you

All for me

All for you

Confessions of a Stitch-a-holic :)

I LOVE to crochet!!
And did you know that you can crochet while feeding a baby!?
Yup, you can.
:)


But, really, a person can only crochet so many doilies or scarves before hunting for another project :).


While surfing the blog world one day, I came across Caps For Good. Just having had a baby myself, this jumped out at me. Hey, this is something I could do! I thought.


And so the search for the perfect wool (I've already lost one #4 needle in the process ;P) began.

Did You Know .....

Nearly 4 million babies die each year in their first month of life - half within their first 24 hours - mostly from preventable or treatable causes. But by giving mothers and caregivers a package of simple tools, including guidance on healthy newborn care practices, the majority of these deaths could be prevented. Items crucial to saving more babies’ lives include: 

•   antibiotics to treat infection 

•   immunizations against tetanus 

•   skilled birth attendants at every birth 

•   counseling on breastfeeding 

•   information on basic newborn care such 

     AS keeping  the cord clean and keeping 

     the baby warm 

This is where you can help by making a cap! Your caps will be sent to Save the Children’s newborn health programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Visit GoodGoes.org/caps to see stories about how caps like yours are making a difference in the lives of mothers and children around the world. Baby caps are a simple and effective tool that can keep babies warm and ultimately contribute to reducing newborn deaths in the developing world. 

 - taken from the Caps For Good info site

The stitching has begun! My goal is to make 10 caps before adding fun little do-dads. I have all sorts of ideas and am quite excited :P!  Four down, six to go! AND I've promised myself I'll use up all the wool I've bought for this already BEFORE I buy more (I'm a sucker for more soft wool!!).

If you're interested in joining me, if you can get basic patterns and more information at Caps For Good.  Please note, all caps need to be in NY by February 28, 2011. AND GET THIS - there is even a little tag that you can attach to your cap and write a little note to the mother who will receive this for her baby!

If you send a cap (or two or ten ;)...) let me know!


I'll post pictures of the final cap stash! Until then, happy stitching!!!

Let Heaven and Nature Sing

Snow or no snow :), we've already started decorating for Christmas around here!! The tree will wait until the weekend, but there are evergreen garlands and lights, and little festive, shiny, sparkly bits of fun everywhere!

I was inspired the other day while standing by my dryer, folding yet another load of laundry. A prayer phrase began to stir in my heart. In the past few months, as life has adjusted to the presence of a newborn, and time alone is scarce indeed, the chore task of laundry has often become a place of prayer. It's not for long periods of time, but particularly when there are 5+ loads to sort and fold and wash and dry, I can find myself standing there for a length of time!

As the refrain, let heaven and nature sing!! settled into my mind, I reflected on the simplicity and beauty of these words. 

Too often I feel like I'm scrambling through the day...  

trying to teach the littles all the things I think they'll need to know... 

or attempting to finish at least one chore before starting another (somehow, there are always dishes and seldom a fully tidy counter!!!)... 

or striving to live a life worthy of the calling I have received (Eph. 4:1).

Not often enough these days, do I find myself just resting in the greatness of God.

“‘Holy, holy, holy

   is the Lord God Almighty,’

   who was, 

and is, 

and is to come.”

Revelation 4:8b

 I felt like this was a fitting focus for Advent. For those precious moments when I can slip away, alone, to rest in the One who came to make a way and will come again to make all things right. 

We are invited to revel in His JOY, 

to participate in His revelation of love, 

and to bear witness to His splendor and majesty that is worthy of all adoration and praise.

I need a lot of visual reminders these days :). I easily forget and lose my focus. I found this delightful picture, added the words that center my heart, printed it off and framed it so that I can be drawn back into this reality each time I see the photo that is perched on my windowsill.

The inspiration to decorate for Christmas came at the perfect time. Little M had only ONE DAY of school last week, and so the fun process of unpacking trinkets, checking lights and vacuuming up alllll the bits of tinsel that found their way around the house lasted for a few days. What FUN we had! We listened to the first round of Christmas music, dimmed the lights for the full, mini-light effect and tried to light candles that were cheap and not very effective ;). (Note to self, you'll need to pick up more tea lights!)

“Great and marvelous are your deeds, 

   Lord God Almighty. 

Just and true are your ways, 

   King of the nations. 

Who will not fear you, Lord, 

   and bring glory to your name? 

For you alone are holy. 

All nations will come 

   and worship before you, 

for your righteous acts have been revealed."

Revelation 15:3b-4

Let heaven and nature sing!

ps - Thought I LOVE snow, I am thankful that it has not yet officially arrived. These weeks, we travel to school 1-3 times per week, and the morning and afternoon walks are SPECTACULAR!!

Earth Angel

As always, posts "percolate" for a while before I add them to my blog. Many many many ideas never find their way into words. 

I've been wanting to do a on someone very special for a long time. But I was just waiting for all the words to gather together....

At first I was going to call it "Super Woman"... but then, in an email one day, my youngest sister referred to my mom as "Earth Angel" and I knew I'd found the phrase I'd been searching for.

To call her "Super Woman" wouldn't be accurate. She's not ever "above anyone" or superior in any way.  Though how she manages to do as much as she does for all of us that know her is still a mystery to me.  Rather, she's an Earth Angel. She's practical,  reliable,  and always always always ready to help.

She doesn't ever claim to have all the answers, but listens to me as I sort through life's issues. She is a sounding board, and even when we don't see things from the same perspective (her floors are spotless, mine are seldom washed :); she's always early, I'm usually late!!; she presses ahead while I tend to question things a bit more), she doesn't try to convince me otherwise. She lets me learn ;). Especially as I dealt with stuff at the beginning of Sweet K's life, I had her on speed-dial. Her words to me, "call anytime..." meant more than anything else she could have done or said. Except for those times when she brought over homemade soup and treats, maybe ;).

 "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" - Charles Caleb Colton once said. We are very different people, and I wouldn't do everything the same way, but I do hope that I can be the stable, listening, guiding presence to my girls that my mother has been to me. 

What an honor that would be.

As I looked for pictures of my mother, I couldn't find very many. That's because she's always hovering in the background, lending a helping hand whenever possible. At birthday parties, christmas festivities, outings and so on, she's always there, ready to grab a stroller or a diaper bag and lend a helping hand. The other day, Sweet K cried when "Gama" left. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she wandered around the house, looking for her friend. I felt sad too. I enjoy our visits, our frequent phone chats and our laughs. Because there is ALWAYS something to laugh about!!!

She prays, she listens,

she learns and laughs with us.

My siblings and I are blessed.

Thank you mom!!!

 

A Tale of Three Smooches!

Frequently throughout this last pregnancy, I got asked if I was hoping for a boy.

I'd smile and chuckle -- I guess with two gallies already, a boy would round things out a bit.

Especially for Jon. I suspect there'll be some serious pre-teen mood swings around this place ;).

But, truthfully, it really didn't matter to me one iota. The fact that we'd gone on to have a third child was already the fulfillment of a deep longing, and it wasn't that we were "trying" for a boy. I knew, in my heart, that our family was missing someone and that this person was meant to be.

Little M desperately wanted a brother, though. She even "talked to God" about it one evening while we were saying our prayers. Our conversation went something like this:

M: Mommy, should we ask God if we are having a boy or a girl?

Me: Well, we could.....

M: Okay. God. God? God?? Are you there? Silence.

Me: Really wondering what was going on in M's silence. What kind of lessons would she learn from this prayer? What kind of questions would she ask!?

M: God? Yeah, are we having a brother or a sister? Silence.

Me: Welllllll?

M: God said we are having a boy!!!!

Me: Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we :)!

Well, we went on to have another beautiful baby girl. We were DELIGHTED!!!

Smooch #1: Little M

aka. Firecracker.

She is witty, intelligent, sensitive

and challenges me because she is 

so very much like me :). 

I LOVE her passion!!

 Smooch #2: Sweet K

aka. gentle

Her name literally means sweet-scented spice

and she is so mild-tempered.

Even at this young age, she has a definite soft spot 

for people with disabilities. She gravitates toward them,

seeking to draw them into play time.

Blesses my heart every time!

Smooch #3: Wee One

Little Miss Wiggle

She is active. 

ALWAYS moving. 

Always discovering.

From the moment we put her on her stomach that very first time,

she was trying to crawl!

My sisters (who both have sons) hoped I'd have a boy that would 

dangle from the chandeliers!!!

I may not have a son, but I suspect that this little one will keep

me hopping!!!!

When Jon came home from the hospital to tell the girls they had a sister, we were not sure what Little M's reaction would be. She knocked our socks off with her response:

Jon: You girls have a baby sister. We're going to have THREE GIRLS in this family.

M: "Well daddy, that's just three times the trouble!!!"

We love this three-daughter life, and are delighted by them daily.

We eagerly anticipate living through the adventure of the Tale of Three Smooches!!!