Christmas Joy

Merry Christmas from our family!!!!

We're settling in for a few days of vacation together. The snow is falling outside.

Our hearts rejoice in the Greatest Gift of All and in in the joy of family togetherness this Christmas season.

O come let us adore Him.....

We'll give Him all the glory....

We'll praise His Name forever.....

For He alone is worthy....

Christ the Lord!!!



December

Just a small peak into our home this month...

Red and Green and popcorn

warmth of home

celebration of the One who is Love

            Happy times at Grandma and Grandpa's house with all the cousins. Story time with Grandpa

                                                                packaging gifts

Lottsa snow

hand-stitching

cookie baking

 Christmas sprinkles



adoration
awe
.... our Redeemer came!!!!

p.s.

Almost as soon as I clicked the publish button for my last post, I knew that I was wasn't quite done.

I will never get everything clarified that there is to clarify.

However:

I did not mean in any way to negate the importance or value of taking a more public role in the cause for life.  If Jesus is nudging you towards  more involvement, than by ALL means, you better be listening closely to him.

If he tells you to put that bumper sticker on your car, do it!

If he is asking you to attend that next prolife banquet, go!

If he is asking you to care for an orphan, go for it!

If he is asking you to volunteer at the local pregnancy center, do it!

Become informed. Be willing to speak. Be eager to serve. Affirm life.

My last post was written from the dungeon perspective. That dark place where nothing of importance ever seems to happen.  That place where I wonder if I am doing anything of eternal value. That place that is just so dark I can't really see very well. That place where Jesus lets nothing go to waste.  That place where Jesus is growing my roots.

I've tried to claw my way out of the dungeon  a few times.

He says, "It's not time yet. I have more to teach you. You need a stronger root system"

So. If you're in the dungeon with me, take heart.

 Affirm, accept and love life around you.

You are Pro-Life!

If  you're emerging from that dungeon....

Don't be too scared to blossom.

You have strong roots.

Affirm, accept and love life!

You are Pro-Life!!!

 

 

 

I am Pro-Life

I am pro-life.

I've struggled with the idea of what it means for me to be prolife for a number of years. It's not that I struggle to affirm  prolife ideas. I am all over that page!!!

 But, I've struggled with how I fit into the pro-life picture. 

How can  I claim to be pro-life but be so very uninvolved in all the rallies and banquets?

I don't even have the space to volunteer at the Right to Life booth at our county fair.

The door to fostering and adoption has been closed for us, at least temporarily.

I do not volunteer at the pregnancy center that is not even a block from my house.

I'm not even involved in our church's ministry to city kids.

Hulllllo....How can I claim that I'm pro-life?

It's something that I care about so much that I want to be involved at every level and at every event where the words "pro life" are uttered.

I want to be an advocate for the unborn.

I want to put my arms around the pregnant teenager and enable her to make the choice for life.

I want to adopt all the unwanted and unloved kids in the world.

So, I have had to wrestle with all these desires to be involved in a wonderfully good cause. I've had to let Jesus reshape what it means for me to pro-life right now at this stage of life. I've had to go to the proverbial dungeon. I'm down digging around in the earth, getting tangled in all the roots.

This is what He has showed me:

ANYTIME I let the little ones come to me as Jesus did...............this is being pro-life!!!

EVERY little face that I look at represents a mother who made a decision for life,  perhaps at a very difficult time in her life. That life that she chose still needs care. That mother and that child still must know that the choice for life was a GOOD one. It was a choice that I support and I am still here to stand with both mother and child in that decision.....this is being pro-life!

Accepting the gifts of my own womb with delight and joy.....this is being pro-life!


Seeing all life as being valuable and precious.....this is being pro-life

Having 3 little ones crawling ALL.OVER. me even as I write this post.....this is being pro-life.

I believe in being pro-life at a grass roots level.

Therefore:
I scrub toilets.
I make 3 meals a day.
I say 'yes' to the neighbor kids.
I donate gently used items to the pregnancy center.
I babysit for my friends.
I bake cookies for the 80 kids that come to club.
I nurse a little girl 8+ times a day
I smile at the tired mom with toddlers bouncing in and out and around her cart at the grocery store.
And I say, with full assurance:

I AM PRO-LIFE!!!!

And I want to say to you, Dear Reader-
Please do not make excuses for not being pro-life. Do not justify saying 'no' to the opportunites that Jesus brings your way to give to the cause for life.  But also, remember, you're very likely more involved in the pro-life cause than what you realize. Embrace life today!

Thanksgiving Day Prayer

 

“Thou who hast given so much to me give me one thing more, a grateful heart: not thankful when it pleaseth me, as if Thy blessings had spare days, but such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.”

― George Herbert

Freely Give

I need this reminder. Freely Give. In whatever I'm facing, in whatever I'm doing....

Freely Give....

-thanks for all things

-of my time

-my resources

-words of blessing

-my love


The only response from one who has been given so much and given it so freely should be to give all things back freely.

I say, it SHOULD be the response.

Unfortunately, it is NOT the natural response of a fallen human being.

My selfishness is astoundingly gross at times.

My capacity to absorb all that is freely given and to even want more (gag here _ _ _ _ _ ) is revolting.

I am so quick to forget all that I have been given.


Jesus-
Open my eyes and my heart to really see all that you have given to me so freely today. Create in me a heart that responds to you by freely giving all that I am and have back to you.

Midnight Music

mu·sic

[myoo-zik] noun

 

an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.
(source: dictionary.com)

It's the middle of the night.

Tired doesn't even do justice to the state of my physical and mental state of being. 

 But I hear something....soft, beautiful, harmonious.

It's growing louder and more beautiful as my mind begins to slowly focus.

It's music.

Beautiful, soothing music:



-the heavy, rythmic breathing of a good, hard-working man, tired from a long day of work. The breathing of a man who carries a boatload of responsibility on his shoulders. It's so steady. clear. sturdy. robust. strong.

-I must listen carefully, but...yes! I can hear it! Those quick, light puffs of air coming from my 3 month old daughter's body. The breathing is delicate and beautiful, just like my daughter.

-rising from the floor, just beside the bed, I hear the middle son breathing. His breath catches and he quivers a little as he recovers from his night time fear. He feels safe and secure being so close to his parents. He can breath easy again.


Yes. It is music.

Music that I love.

It's the music of life.

*thinking of my SIL, Katie Beiler and of Louisa Schmucker who have both recently lost the gift of  midnight music in their lives.

Pinching the Pennies

So.

Sometimes I shock myself.

I never thought I’d try this.

You know, making my own cleaners and baby wipes.

But here I am:

A wife of one hard working man.

A mom of 5 healthy growing children.

Unfortunately the hard working husband’s salary isn’t growing proportionately with the offspring.

So.

Here I am, trying some new money saving tactics and actually kind of enjoying the challenge.

I have 2 criteria when it comes to making any homemade product:

1. It cannot be too time consuming

2. I do not want to sacrifice quality

Since these two products passed my little test with flying colors and saved me a hunk of cash, I deemed them worthy of sharing with you.

1. Baby Wipes

I’m not pulling any wool over your eyes. Right here on this picture are the items needed for a wonderful batch of sweet smelling, soft, moist baby wipes. You can whip up a batch of these wipes in 5 minutes. As far as quality, I actually prefer these OVER the wipes bought at the store. I got this recipe from my friend, Andrea. Visit her here  for detailed instructions.

You can use any kind of baby wash in this recipe but I LOVE the scent that this Lavender and Chamomile added to my wipes.

Your baby will love you for making these wipes. I think I totally ‘wowed’ my little girl.

2. And now, allow me to present my newest ALL PURPOSE CLEANER

Again, simple ingredients and quick prep. Just mix equal amounts of warm vinegar with Dawn dishsoap. Shake it together in a spray bottle and WATCH OUT, soap scum and grease.(even your mean cleaning MIL will be impressed!) It is important to heat the vinegar for the dish soap to dissolve completely. Otherwise, the two ingredients will separate and you will need to shake your bottle each time before using it. But, sometimes when I’m cleaning I really feel the need to shake something VERY hard. Better to shake the cleaning bottle than the porcelain toilet bowl.

I haven’t tried it yet, but I am guessing it would even clean permanent marker off my son’s face.

The next thing on my bucket list is finding a good laundry soap recipe for my front loading HE washer.

Any suggestions? I've tried a number of recipes that haven't worked so well.

Any other recipes for saving money around the house?

I’d love to hear them!!!

big brother love

          He Love Me-------He Loves Me-----He Loves Me--------He Loves Me--------He Loves Me
                                     (just skip the 'not' part because it's so obviously not true!!!)

 

Christopher's affection for his little sister is always on the surface and bubbling over....

"Mom, I need to see her face!!!!" -chris

           Baby Girl- do you know how loved you are???

             

Reality: We're all crazy over our {picky} little "Chickadee"

October Snow

Outside the window

Inside- all comfy cozy are we......

Cassie's first snow. We're going to teach her to love snowy mornings.