Over the kitchen sink.....

Don't you find, as a woman, that a lot of thinking and planning and.......living gets done while you stand over your kitchen sink? In our home much happens in the kitchen. It's the hub of the wheel of home-life. There, while hands are busy doing dishes, setting the table, sweeping the floor, preparing food, we all find ourselves reaching out to each other. We laugh and tease there as we relate the days events. We argue there (yes, we do!) and we cry there. Much counsel is given, issues are hashed out, hugs are given. I wash little hands, I put on bandaids, I soothe hurt feelings.

I turn to dishes and hard work when my mind is preoccupied with stresses and concerns. I go on silent tirades as I scrub pots and pans. I imagine conversations I'd have, things I'd say, things I'd do. Quiet times of cleaning the kitchen alone give time for reflection and often lead to repentance and renewal. There I will, at times, shed painful tears when no one else can see. There I will regroup and commune with my Heavenly Father and prepare for whatever the day will hold.

It's so often said that "idle hands are the devil's workshop". I can't completely agree. My hands can be super busy at my kitchen sink while evil finds a ready accomplice in my mind. An idle mind is the devil's workshop? Perhaps..............how about: an undisciplined mind is the devil's workshop? That may come closer to the truth. I can often tread dangerous paths when in the solitude of my kitchen - when all is quiet and my mind is left to follow it's sinful ruts. Like so many things in life, places of great blessing can become places of great wrong.

So, how can I help to keep my kitchen, and my mind, a place of blessing for all who enter? By training my mind to Godliness - by using these opportunites of quiet aloneness and times of interaction with others to put into practice the many down to earth lessons of God's word.

"So that you incline your ear to wisdom; and apply your heart to understanding.....then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of the Lord........He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly........when wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil" (Prov. 2)

Commit your ways to the Lord and He will direct your paths. Make a commitment to "give over your kitchen" to the Lord. To use it as a place of peace and refreshement. A place of hospitality and fellowship - for family and friends alike. A place where you practice training your thoughts to please the Lord. And ladies, a kitchen like that can't possibly be a place of drudgery - it will draw people with it's aura of warmth and welcome. And no one will even notice that you didn't wash the floor...........:)

kids + snow = fun!

Since our little outdoor boy has not wanted to venture outside since he's been sick, we brought winter inside to him:


A sinkful of snow, or ice or even just a dribble of water from the tap and a bunch of measuring cups keep this little guy happy for a good long time :)

And the others are just loving the storm we're getting! Go out and enjoy it too!

Influenza

"I had a little bird,
Her name was Enza
I opened the window
And in-flu-enza"

That was a little ditty sung by children during the big flu epidemic during WWI. Horrible. If the war didn't kill the people, the flu did. I'm so thankful that though we're pretty sick right now, I have no real fears about this taking our lives.
I have struggled, many times, with fear when the kids have been sick. When I was a newer mom I would get a panicky feeling that would stay with me until the kids got better. I would even find it hard to pray - or I would pray with a defeatest attitude like: "Please make them better, but I know You won't anyway" I really struggled with trusting the Lord when it came to my kids. But through time and His work of maturing in my spiritual life, He's brought me to greater trust in that area and I'm able to better leave them in His hands. I'm not able to perfectly trust - by no means! - but I'm using scripture verses to encourage me in my weakness and that is powerful - God's own words to me!
Ephesians 2:10 is one verse I find so helpful in every situation, to remind me who I am before God and what my task is : "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them". A panicky, worried, anxious mom is not the "good work" that the Lord has prepared for me! But I sure need His strength to be His workmanship - to bring glory to Him in every situation! On my own I'm terribly weak.

Here is what we looked like today - very pathetic! All 4 of the kids have fevers, runny noses, weepy eyes, coughs and headaches. Poor little Corin is the worst of all. The 5 of us spent much of the day on the pull-out couch, reading and watching Thomas the Tank Engine :)

Laura is, perhaps, being a little dramatic...................;)

When the cat's away.......

.......the mice will play! And play they do! Rich left for Mexico EARLY Friday morning, leaving a sad wife and 4 weepy children behind. But we're coping......

Corin's putting on a brave face and dancing his troubles away (to Jamie Soles tunes):

Here's a little slumber party.......er, I mean, little get together for the sake of consoling one another:
Here Corin is clutching his "Pookie" bear for security:
And these two are clinging to each other in mutual support:
Daddy - come home! We're barely making it without you :)

But in all seriousness, home is not quite "home" without its head. Single parenthood is certainly not something to be sought after. The Lord, in His great wisdom, designed man and woman to unite and become one and complete and compliment each other. And I feel torn in two when Rich is gone. We have been greatly blessed and can't wait till the "cat" comes home :) Please pray for God's travelling mercies as he and Brian travel back on Tues.

Snowy Valentines Day!

Wow - what a day! We woke to piles of snow and no sign of a quick let-up - it was gorgeous! We're winter lovers here - I love the warmth, too, but I'd sure miss the snow if we didn't get it. So, when we saw the wild weather we knew there was no way we'd be able to get to school (wink, wink), so we just had to take a snow day ;) The kids were thrilled, and were quick to don their outside attire and head for the yard. I have to be careful to supervise their outdoor dressing - yesterday I caught 2 certain persons outside in dress-up clothes and hats (and it wasn't me and Rich :)

And, being Valentine's Day, we've had ample to time prepare for our celebrations........including making this decadent cake! It's a recipe that's just been waiting for a snowy day - a solid chocolate "crust" filled with a fluffy chocolate cream cheese filling:

Kara, eat your heart out :) In case you didn't know, my sister fancies herself a great dessert maker (chortle, chortle - excuse me while I wipe tears of mirth from my eyes) Do you know what she did when she came over last? She made a pie, dropped it on the way here and so put it in a pie box, trying to pass it off as a store bought pie, lest we think it was the best she could do. My poor sister .............(hee,hee - have your own blog yet, Kara? :)
And this morning my dear husband disappeared for awhile, only to return with this gorgeous plant for me! Thank-you, dear! He constantly gives of himself to all of us - a true demonstration of love. How thankful we all are for Daddy - and for the teaching he is always giving us of the greater love of our Heavenly Father.
Our first snow fort of the winter - it's a dandy :)

Family Fun

I've been waxing reminiscent these days.......remembering all sorts of fun things from my past to tell the kids about. I used to love to hear about what my mom and dad did when they were "young" (a rather relative term, I'm beginning to think :) and now I often find myself starting off a story with "When I was little.......".

Sunday night I was telling them all about the OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship) Christmas parties that we went to every Christmas for many years b/c of my parent's involvement with the mission. They certainly weren't afraid of a good old fun time, but at the same time, I always came away with a sense of certainty that these people really loved the Lord. There was a dear, old man who had been a missionary to China and loved to gather us children around him and hold us spellbound with fascinating stories of his life and work there. Another man, a very talented artist, would bring out his easel and have a child come up and scribble on it. Then, before our eyes, accompanied by a steady stream of witty comments, he would transform our scribble into a work of art. Great fun - but also used of the Lord in shaping the lives of us youngsters - giving us Godly examples of men and women the Lord was using in His kingdom.

So, after my little story, we decided to give the scribble game a try.........and we had such fun!

Here is Rich turning my scribble into a rather impressive whale:
And here is Laura's scribble...................
........which Caleb turned into a man :)
Give it a try! It's works just as well on a chalkboard, or even paper!

laundry in winter

Does anyone else still hang laundry out to dry? I do most of mine in the dryer, but I absolutely love the smell of outside dried sheets and blankets. So on sunny days you shouldn't be surprised to see my line drooping beneath the weight of a wet blanket or two. (I know what you're thinking..........wet blankets............no, I don't drape my kids or my husband .........or myself.........out on the clothesline :)
This particular one ended up in a snowstorm and I had a hard time even getting it through the door as it had become a "solid" and wouldn't bend! But once it dried out on the shower curtain rod it smelled wonderful!

Thoughts before the Lord's Day....

Always remember that the heart of our singing lies in our relationship with God. Congregational singing is nothing else than talking-with-God-together. That's why the Psalms are so appropriate for congregational singing: God gave us in the Bible the songs of congregational faith for our conversation with Him. Think of it: every shade of faith, every possible experience, is put into song for us! How insulting then, is mindless congregational singing [Ps 47:7 says "For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding"]! And how superstitious is heartless congregational singing, when the words we sing don't flow from an energetic faith that seeks to engage the God to whom we sing.

Congregational singing is, in essence, covenant conversation. Prayer put to music, that's all. Its stanzas echo the ups and downs (ours, not God's!) of our relationship with God, and its moods reflect the "think and thin" through which He has promised to lead us. That's the one side. The other side is this: congregational singing echoes God's faithfulness and reflects His loving steadiness toward His people who live in the middle of change, sadness and toppling governments. [Walking About Zion - Singing of Christ's Church in the Psalms, p. 12]

2 years old!!

Wow! Our baby is 2! I seemed like we waited so long for this little one to come along and now 2 years have already passed since the Lord brought him into our lives. I can still so cleary remember the day he was born.........oh, there is nothing so wonderful as the birth of a baby! He was so cute :) But, boy he caused us some concern when he lost weight instead of gaining - and then all the visits to the nursing clinic and the tube feedings and the other........let's say "interventions" we had to endure. But, he gained and is now our little live wire! He brings so much joy and laughter to our home and we are so thankful to God for His precious gift to us.

So far, we have celebrated by having Grandma and Grandpa A. over for lunch:

.......and Grandma and Grandpa S. over for coffee. We'll have our special family "party" tonight.

Happy Birthday, little Boofy!!

Nachalah....

.......Hebrew for "inheritance" or "posession" or "heritage" as we know it in Ps 127-
"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one’s youth.

Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

They shall not be ashamed,

But shall speak with their enemies in the gate."

Help for commuters...

Ever wish you had a button in your car which you could press to transform it into a flying machine, letting you soar over the highway, relieving you of the agony of 'bumper to bumper' traffic? Well, this may not be as far-fetched as it once was. According to this article, the X-Hawk may be available to city drivers in 2010.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/01/31/israel.flying.car.ap/index.html

bein' sneaky

We get such a kick out of our almost 2-yr old. He's becoming increasingly verbal and learning that there are ways of getting what he wants without just coming out and asking for it. For example, "slices" are one of his favourite snacks. Slices are simply peeled, sliced up apple pieces.
One morning, just after break time (when the kids had, once again, forgotten to take a snack during break and were dying of hunger when break time ended........yah, right), I peeled some apples and gave everyone a small bowl of them to eat while doing their work (along with much talk about how this would never happen in "real" school :). Corin sat at the table with his bib (he puts it on himself when he's excited about eating and pulls it off himself when he doesn't like his food) and quickly downed all his apple slices. And then his eyes wandered over to Caleb's bowl. Well, for some reason, Caleb was more engrossed in his math than his apples (will wonders never cease?!!) so he didn't notice Corin's eyes widen as his mind considered sneaky possibilities.
Corin's face suddenly became very solemn, and he nodded sagely as he reached for one of Caleb's slices. "One" he said, as if giving himself permission to take just one. Well, as with most of us, when taking what is forbidden, one is usually not enough. So, he nodded again and reached out his chubby little hand. "One" he said, as if convinced this would be the last.
Now you may be wondering why I know all this and, considering my knowledge, didn't stop the proceedings. If you're a parent, you'll understand. If you're not, you might understand, you might not. Thus ends my explanation. :)
Well, Caleb must have made some move that alerted Corin to the fact that his window of opportunity was quickly closing. He had to act fast. His little fist closed on another slice with a hastily muttered "one". After that, it was each man for himself. That small hand darted back and forth quicker than I would have thought possible, and soon all the slices were stuffed into his mouth and his cheeks bulged like a little squirrel's. Caleb caught wind that something was not right, looked into his now empty bowl and protested with a loud, "Hey!!!" He looked accusingly at Corin who, with apple spilling out of his mouth, managed to adopt his solemn expression again, and said, for the last time, "One".
Can you blame me for watching? :)

our "pet"....and our pet

Well, he hatched successfully......our baby crocodile, that is.

Well, I guess we don't really have a baby crocodile - but it's kinda neat, isn't it? The kids got it from Auntie Shana as a Christmas gift - it was a pretty real looking egg and when they submerged it in water for 24 hours, it began to "hatch". After 48 hours it was partly through (as in the last post) and now it's completely out. It was fun - the kids thought it was great, although Corin is terrified of it!
But, nothing takes the place of bunny-boodoo. His real name is Licorice, but like all things loved in our family (including children :), he's rarely called by his real name. He came to us as a runaway - found by our friends in their backyard while he was visiting their rabbit. He took a bit of time to warm up to us (we had a few bite marks to prove it!), but he's now the most docile, sweet rabbit of all times. We built him a hutch in the backyard where he happily resides - even in these sub-zero days.

He'd love to get out and run, but I've spent too much time climbing neighbours fences and making apologies for my erratic behaviour around here (skulking around the neighbourhood with a carrot, alternating between sweet entreaties and vicious threats). So he now stays in, though we're occasionally spurred to frantic action with the words "The bunny's out!!!!" Someone (no one knows who - although I have my suspicions.....) will at times forget to latch his door. Adds a little "much needed" excitement to our dull lives :)

random happenings

Most of life is full of just normal, everyday happenings. Nothing particularly earth shattering - perhaps not even very interesting to anyone else. But I'll take the risk and try your patience by posting some of the things that make life sweet around here.
A little boy and his trains. His latest interest keeps him occupied much of the day. Today he couldn't even wait until I had taken off his coat and hat - he made a beeline for the bedroom and the rails :)
Luke got a letter in the mail from his 11 yr. old cousin (and very good friend) Benny - and in it was a recipe for Ben's Ham and Cheese. So, I got a night off and Luke made supper! Thanks, Luke and Ben!
And lastly, we've got something very interesting hatching in our kitchen..............any guesses?