Mercy
There are moments in life that take your breath away when you realize just how not in control we are. Moments where you are faced with the reality that it is God directing our paths, and He is the one in charge.
The other day I went to the grocery store with the girls and the baby. Calvin stayed home with Steve. After I returned, he mentioned that Calvin slipped out of the house and was riding his scooter and a neighbor brought him home. I didn't really think that much about it. Steve had been playing with him, then went into the other room and Calvin ran out. I was grateful, of course, to my neighbor, but not really aware of what had really taken place.
When I saw her the next day, I thanked her for bringing him home. She hadn't told Steve all the circumstances surrounding what had happened, but she told me then.
She told me that Calvin wasn't just riding his scooter around. He came looking for Mommy, and was turning onto a main road that leads to a very very very big road that you have to cross to get to the store. Calvin knows the way. He would have ridden his little scooter down to that very very very big road.
My dear friend told me then that never before has she felt so compelled to follow a spiritual prompting. She drove way out of her way, in her words "pulled" to the spot where he was rounding the corner. The path to the big road is off to the side--a few moments later and he would have been lost from sight until he was at the very very very big road.
I feel so humbled. So humbled knowing that God is aware of my sweet little son, and that his time on earth isn't over yet. So grateful for promptings of the Spirit, and for people who listen and follow.
Labels: blessings
Blessing day
What a beautiful day!! Perfect from start to finish. Sammy was (of course) happy and smiley and peaceful. Steve gave him a beautiful blessing, and it was so wonderful to have so many of our favorite people there with us.
Everyone came for dinner after--there ended up being over 30 people!! About 15 more than I was expecting--fortunately I always make waaay more food than necessary, so there was plenty for everyone.
Hannah asked the other day how I can throw parties with a newborn and 3 other crazy kids. Answer?? What you don't see here is the big picture. Sure, I can throw impromptu parties left and right, but I sure don't blog about the state of my laundry room!! Or the disorganized everything in my house, the weeds in the garden, the scrapbooks that I've never done...this list could go on and on for miles. So I do get some things done really well, but at the expense of other, equally valuable things.
But anyway, here are some pictures of my precious little Samuel on his perfect blessing day.
Labels: baby, blessings
Tender Mercies
It was a standard morning around here. Chores, scriptures, getting dressed and doing some school. Kids running in and out of the house playing. I had great plans to do a lemonade stand with my girls, and that's about the total of our ambitions.
12:30, a whisper of a thought passed through my mind. "Hazel, Liberty Girls".
Hazel is in a club for homeschooled girls based on the American Girl books. It's absolutely fabulous, and has been such a great experience for her. They were having a huge end of the year retreat for all the chapters. An all-day, pre-paid, much-anticipated retreat.
And it was today.
My heart dropped as I realized that she'd most likely missed it. I checked my email for the details, and it started at 1. I read this at 12:30. I got her ready in a flash, and Steve was home and available to drive her to it.
Waves of gratitude washed over me as I realized that the Lord cares enough about a little girl's happiness to remind me gently about this activity for her. He will compensate for my failures because he loves us. Humbling, and so beautiful to think that we are known so individually by a loving Heavenly Father.
Labels: blessings
New Year
Finally, finally, things feel back to normal. Clean, clean house, with NO red or green anywhere. I used to think my mother was the biggest kill-joy for being so gleeful at getting Christmas put away. It was always so sad to me to see the fun things put away. But now??? I just want everything clutter free, and it feels so good!! I don't have any of the candlesticks or vases or anything put back yet, so it is absolutely minimalist, and I'm loving it!
We had a wonderfully relaxing fun week, then all day yesterday was spent recovering from the New Year's Eve craziness. We always have a big couples party--we stick the kids in the basement with a couple intrepid 12 year olds. This year, Calvin and his same-age cousin Janey outdid even themselves by staying up past 2 am. Yes, 2 am. Every time we thought they were finally asleep, they'd pop up somewhere, bouncing on couches or chasing each other merrily. He slept until 11 the next morning, napped a while, then went to bed early. Today he is back to his normal crazy self.
I got a couple of really fun things for Christmas. One favorite was the present from the every amazing Andrea. You know that amazing play felt food on Etsy all over the place? Well, I've been drooling over it, but never ordered any for my kids. Andrea didn't just give a sister a fish, no, she's teaching this sister to fish for a lifetime. Or, as the case may be, make play food for days.
The binder is filled with printed ebooks with detailed instructions on everything you can imagine. There are tabs separating it into sushi, tarts, pie, cake, cookies, and cupcakes. Incredible.
Gorgeous wool felt in every color imaginable.
Sprinkles!
Is this not one of the most fun, most thoughtful gifts ever?? I'm so excited to start playing with everything, and I'll definitely post pictures as my creations emerge.
For the next incredibly fun present, please use your best Bob Barker/Price is Right announcer voice....
"It's a neeeeewww caaaar!!!"
Or, to be precise, a semi-new minivan!!! Woo-hoo!!!!!
One with sliding doors on
both sides. This is big, people. Very big. The old van still runs beautifully, but we use it so much for the business and I then I jam my 3 in the little Nissan Sentra. Can't put 4 in a Sentra, though, so we really needed this. I just wasn't expecting it until closer to baby day.
Sweet darling Steve was going to do the whole bow in the driveway thing, but got a little nervous at such a major big huge purchase with no spousal input. Who needs the surprise--I'm just thrilled to death! It's a 2003--the newest we've owned yet. And only 49,000 miles, so it should last for many many years.
The blessings pour in. I don't have room to hold them all. 2007 was such a great year, and here's hoping 2008 is even better!
Labels: blessings, holidays
Miracle
Today was a miracle. Plain and simple, the Lord is so aware of ME and is so merciful. I'm so overwhelmed by my blessings.
I haven't been able to stop throwing up. Over and over and over, relentless. It was 11 in the morning, none of the kids were dressed, and they had been watching tv straight since early morning. I couldn't function. As I was finishing up in the bathroom yet again, the kids ran and told me someone was at the door. Hair disheveled, eyes streaming, looking a complete disaster, I came to the door.
My dear neighbor stood there, looking a little bewildered as I burst into tears.
"I was driving by and had the feeling that you needed me. What can I do?"
I just sobbed as she dressed my girls and took them home with her. She told me she'd keep them all day, happily.
Not 2 minutes after she left, the doorbell rang again and there stood my sweet sister Stephanie. She hugged me, cried with me, and bundled Calvin off for a few hours of McDonald's and playtime with her. I slept, ate something that stayed down for a few hours, and prayed.
Can you believe the tender mercies of the Lord? I hadn't even been praying for help--I was too miserable, but He sends blessings that I don't even ask for. I know Steve was praying for me, though. It's so humbling to know that my needs are known.
Labels: blessings, new baby
Once again, we're back!
Another week, another terribly long blogging pause. Sorry!! We spent all of the glorious Thanksgiving weekend in our mountain condos/timeshare things. So much fun!!! 50+ cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, and 7 condos. Games galore, way too much food, generally awesome times.
How to recap such an amazing and richly blessed time? Just dive in the middle, I guess. There were 54 of us up there for Thanksgiving dinner. Holy cow, that was a lot of mashed potatoes! You always err on the side of preparing too much, but when you multiply that little extra by all the dishes, there were a lot of leftovers! My grandma has 9 kids, and 8 of them were there with their families. There are 6 babies in the 4th generation (3 of them mine) so our days of being able to all get together are limited--as more and more cousins get married and start families it just gets too big! So this might have been our last year, and it was so fun.
Like most families, we have our favorite games that we always play. In this clan, the game is Shanghai, a card game with 7 rounds and collecting runs and sets--basic card game. But we play constantly when we're all together. My immediate family has the reputation throughout the group as the Shanghai card sharks. Undeserved! We're good at it, but not intense and anal, as some people claim. So Uncle Doug (or UD as Steve calls him) set up the First Official Annual Family Shanghai Tournament. We were very official--scorecards, semi finals, and the most intense final round ever! All of my siblings plus mom advanced through the ranks to the final playoff. It was me, mom, brother Jevan,
Andrea, one uncle, one aunt, then the wildcard--16 year old cousin Hayley. For the final round, there was a crowd of probably 15 people watching, chanting 'Hayley, Hayley' periodically. Led by my husband! She
was the underdog...
But we so triumphed! The four of us came in first, second, third, and fourth!!
The rest of the weekend was spent in pure blissful relaxation. Games until 3 am almost every night, long conversations, football games. IOh, and speaking of football games, my darlingest husband made two touchdowns, including a rolling catch in the endzone!! It was so great. One of the best parts of the whole trip is that everyone participates--it doesn't matter the 'generation' you are, it's all just family. You could walk into any condo and find people to play with. I love my family! The kids had a ball. They hated to leave, but I'm once again glad to get back to real life.
My favorite quote from the weekend: I was teasing Hazel on Thursday morning, asking her if she wanted Top Ramen for dinner. She got a very earnest look on her face, looked into my eyes, and declared, "FEAST!"
I took pictures, but I got a new memory card and I'm having a hard time getting it formatted. Maybe some other day.
Oh, my other favorite part. We had church services in the lodge with everyone. It was so humbling to worship as a family like that--so intimate and personal, and it really hit home the love and bond that we share. Singing I am a Child of God with my grandma, aunts and uncles, cousins, sisters, brothers, husband and children. Now there is something that no amount of money could ever replace.
Labels: blessings, holidays
Thanksgiving plans
Does anyone else absolutely adore Thanksgiving?? It is definitely one of my favorite holidays. The eating part of it is a bonus, of course, but it's more the whole package deal. The togetherness. The warmth and love in the kitchen with my sisters and daughters. The thanks. Gratitude is such an important and underlooked part of life, and I'm very thankful we have a holiday to help us think about it more!
We have a family friend who's convinced that gratitude is the root of most everything good. That an attitude of thankfulness attracts more blessings into our lives, and the more mindful we are, the more we're able to feel joy. I must say that I agree.
My girls love old musicals, and one of their favorites is White Christmas. You know, the old one with Bing Crosby. Well, there's a song in it about falling asleep counting your blessings. Hazel will always remind me to do this, and tells me it will make me happy. How right she is!!
Every other Thanksgiving, my extended family on my mom's side gets together. My grandma has 9 children, most of those with large families of their own, so you can just imagine the numbers here. Over 50, easy. Usually pushing 60. We have a block of timeshares in the mountains that we go to for the whole weekend--Wed through Sunday. It's an absolute blast that we all look forward to all year. Lots of games, lots of snacks, lots of movies. What's not to love?
Since there are so many of us, planning a meal this size is a little daunting. I get to do green beans, cranberries, and 3 pies. Perfect amount! It's enough cooking to make me feel all Thanksgiving-y, but not enough to get me stressed out. On my green beans, there will be not one smidgen of mushroom soup around. Instead, I'm sauteeing them with garlic and olive oil, then topping them with caramelized onions. Mmmmm. You can caramelize onions in the crockpot--just toss them in with some butter or olive oil and put it on low for 24 hours or so. I haven't tried it before, but it sounds delicious!
As for the cranberry sauce, nothing is allowed to come out of a can. I always cook a bag of cranberries with some sugar, orange juice and orange zest--sometimes a little ginger, and they are so so delicious and so easy. I think I'll do another kind as well--maybe a relish with jalapenos? I've got a recipe for that and it looks intruiging.
In the pie department, I was voted to do the apple pies. So I'll do one standard apple, one apple cranberry streusel, and one berry. Can you tell that I absolutely love to cook?
What are all your plans for this wonderful holiday?
Labels: blessings, holidays
