Work in Progress

Here is the painting I am working on these days, of a little orphan girl named Matrida. Our family recently began to sponsor her and it is changing our lives and prayers. From what we understand, studies have shown the best way to defeat poverty is by individual child sponsorship. We trust God is working in Matrida's life and blessing her, just as He is us through this process. Glory be to God!

Freedom to...

Sometimes there is not a whole lot going on here. Well, there is baking of course, and home schooling, and getting to karate on time. But what I am dwelling on at the moment isn't those things, it's Scripture, and my life's goal is to dwell on scripture all the time, what pastor Tim Keller calls the game of minutes; trying to think about the things of God as much of the day as possible.

God's word is so deep and richly fulfilling, I encourage you to read it today. Not all at once, :) but even a small portion can feed you for the entire day. My favorite verse from yesterday is Psalm 119:32 which says, "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." What a beautiful picture. Freedom! What could you do if your heart was set free?

Heroes for Today

 
photo from http://bostinno.streetwise.co


In the busy-ness of life we don't always feel there is time for the proper honoring a thing requires- a sacred thing; a sad memory; or a person's life or death. Today is one of those days, when we remember and yet the meals need planned, the school work needs to be directed and overseen, the karate katas need practiced. I like what Kari at Simplehomeschool posted this morning right here:

How to Homeschool Heroes


God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble- Psalm 46:1.

Appetizers in Abundance

We're already one week past our family's 3rd Annual Appetizer Weekend. What fun we had! That week I'd spent a lot of time in the kitchen making brownies ( here's the recipe from the Hershey's website), blondies and breads. Several friends earned their black belts in karate so I made them goodies to celebrate.

One of the moms gave me a bouquet of beautiful flowers. Even after a week these were still so pretty and cheerful in the dining room. I wish I'd gotten a picture with all the roses in it when they first arrived. 

On to appetizer weekend!It was our annual family party and I had such a good time planning for it. Here's what I made:  Friday night we had Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps, Rotel cheese dip and chips, mini crab cakes and broccoli and cauliflower in dip. 
Saturday breakfast was French toast dipping sticks and syrup and strawberries.
At lunch I made Asiago cheese dip and glazed chicken wings, and Fidget's friend Sky came to sample the goodies.

Sunday at lunch we had a few spring rolls and steamed dumplings. Sunday night we had potato skins, more spring rolls and everything else that was left over. Somewhere in there I also made bacon crescents for the first time, which were a bit hit. They were tiny fiddly things made out of refrigerated crescent rolls smeared with a creamy spread made with fresh-cooked bacon. Somehow I never found time for the avacado-stuffed cherry tomatoes, spinach-parmesan dip, or the sweet fruity dip I was going to make. But the list gets more ambitious every year.

It is such a joy to plan this special weekend celebrating my family every year. God is good to us to give us loving family relationships. No matter what our struggles or differences we can celebrate the family God gave us.

A Day to Relax

It was a lazy day for me and Fidget, really welcome after the school week hit its zenith in the karate belt test yesterday. Today we took it easy, had some friends over, and just played. For the kids, it was being inside and out, eating popcorn and playing ninjas among other things. For the moms, it was having tea, talking about art and baking yeast breads. Breads are one of my all-time favorite things to make. There's an entrancing mystery about the life of yeast that pulls me in several times a week, just to work with it, knead dough, and get a whiff of that heady yeasty aroma. Today my friend Kim and I made two batches of regular white bread with wheat germ, and some adorable peanut butter turtle rolls. They are all gone but one, and Fidget has dibs on it for breakfast.

Blessings

Birthday blessings to the Pres this week, and some current projects, which I hope will bless their recipients. This is the day the Lord has made. Enjoy!

Comfort

Grey skies, rain and grieving here today. I was reminded last week that the tough questions, the unsolved hurts, are times we must choose to draw near to God. We can trust even when we don't understand, and God will bring redemption of even those things that we cannot reconcile. We continue to unpack. Here is a little quilt that gets broken every time we move. I am finally making a new little clay figure, a little Fidget swinging high and carefree, that I made from one of my favorite old photos of her. The quilt isn't ruined if I determine to make it better as I refashion it. Just as the hard things don't break us, but increase our faith as we offer them back to God.

Optimism

Lots of great things are going on at the Train Central workshop. Yes, we're into the grey days of winter. But the thing about being a believer is that the Lord gives our spirits great buoyancy, no matter what is going on in the world, in our hearts, or in our schedules. So, we carry on. As the Bible says, we are not consumed. Instead, we knit :).

Here are two gifts completed this week.

Some luscious, just-arrived bulky soft 

Italian wools for winter projects.

 

 

Some wool that's been on the back burner that I am using for new socks to wear with jeans through the long grey winter months. 

I love the variations on blue.

But we have to keep our strength up. Here's Fidget about to gobble
 one of Sunday's hand made  pizzas.We made 3: pepperoni and mushroom; pineapple and Canadian bacon; and just cheese.
 

 School work continues. And somehow, even next to the train tracks, with grey weather outside, it is encouraging. Math work is being understood, Fig's love of Greek mythology continues, and we get to be together all day long. Here's what we're reading these days. 

 God is good!

Christmas

Christmas has come to Train Central! And the gym downstairs is finally ready too, just in time. We aren't giving a lot of gifts this year because we don't want more stuff to move to River's Edge Bungalow in February. I always need more stationery and ink, so this is my perennial Christmas list. But what I really need, and what I want to be a giver of, is grace. Grace when I'm doing wrong. Grace when I'm bumbling. Grace when I am proud of myself if I'm doing well. Grace when I don't even know I need it. Grace for everything big and small. And fortunately, Jesus, the ultimate giver of grace, has come and showered us with grace by the sprinkling of His blood. In this season, I marvel anew that He would come to be born a baby, to die for me. But better yet, He's promised to come again.

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,' for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!'" Rev.21:3-5

Wishing you a truly Merry Christmas. No matter what is going on in your heart and life, the joy Jesus gives can be yours. May His joy be in our hearts all year long, until He comes again.

Knitting: the Good, and the Bad & Ugly

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

I'm still knitting, even if I haven't talked much about it lately. I'll never have anywhere near the amount of knitted presents to give this year as I did last year, but I'm all right with that. Since Christmas means celebrating Jesus, not knitting, I am putting less and less emphasis on gifts. The more sorrow and suffering I see in the world, the more my eyes are on Jesus, the Hope of Christmas, and the less important presents tend to be. But, since we still do want to give gifts that show people we love them, here's what I've been working on for our brother in law who is serving a year's deployment in Korea.

 
It's the 'good' of my recent work. The body of the socks is in this yarn, below, Opal Rainforest VIII, color: Mr Breakdance. Fun, right? Looks more like Mr Blue Jeans to me.

The remainder, the heels and toes, is in Berroco Comfort Sock, color 1810. I like that it looks sort of camouflage. I started calling the socks Polish Pottery because of all the pretty flecks and variations. Now for the bad and ugly.

 
I'm not sure the picture does justice to how bad it really looks. Recently I've gotten a couple of books on circular knitting and instructions on toe-up socks. I used what I had extra in my yarn box for this project, discontinued Mission Falls wool. I didn't have enough for two socks, so they were probably doomed from the start. But I was concentrating on the instructions. I didn't worry about how bulky and ugly the sock was getting, I was trying the stranded-work ( using two colors at once). To top it off, the leg opening is tight, so there is no one on earth who will want to wear it. But, for now I'm going to keep it in my knitting box to remember my first toe-up project.

  
Here's some more delightful yarn I got from ebay last week. This variation of, Opal is color 6231, Mrs Flamenco. Don't you love the names they come up with? And, there's more yarn on the way! I may not have time to use it before Christmas but if Jesus tarries, this one will still make lovely birthday socks for the niece who loves purple, come spring.

Though I usually grouch at stores bringing Christmas things out too early, I cheered as we went by our town workers assembling a giant lighted tree this morning. With news of our country in peril and war around the world, more than ever I feel need of the Hope of Christmas. Bring those trees and lights out, I say. I need reminding: this world is not our home. Jesus has come and will come again. In the meantime, I'm working on gifts, and just maybe I can get a few more done by Christmas. 

Veterans' Day

It was a glorious weekend for us. The Pres got home from his trip and had four days off. Especially after receiving him home safely it was a sobering time to observe Veterans' Day, knowing there are multitudes of faithful Americans who have given their lives for our freedom.

 We went to the aquarium twice this weekend. The first time we saw the ocean life building. The second time we got to see the new exhibit about the giant extinct shark Megalodon as well as the Marsh Pavilion.

The weather was gorgeous and warm for November. Along the nature walk we took advantage of the several boardwalks along Owls Creek, and an observation tower.

Fig didn't stick around long enough to see much through these viewers but the Pres spotted a kingfisher as it swooped down on a fish and brought it back to a tree to eat it.

I had felt troubled this week but still at peace. It was so good for the soul to get out into God's creation and feel Him near, and know He is faithful, no matter what is going on in politics. Our land is beautiful, we are blessed, and there is still hope for the people of God. 
 

 

It was a triumph to remain at peace in the past week, after struggling a couple of years with anxiety. Lately I have been comforted by Bible reading, God's closeness in prayer, and the counsel of good friends.

 
If there's one thing we know, it's that the enemy wants to rob us of our joy. But it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. And we know the end of the story: Jesus wins.

So we enjoyed our freedom, taking in the sunshine, watching a red tail hawk devouring a squirrel;

following the juvenile otter all around his tank;

and a screech owl hidden in a bush in the outdoor aviary was fascinating to watch.

Here was a quiet tank with a few little fish and hermit crabs. It was meditative to watch them go about their watery day.

We love the harbor seals. You can lose yourself in just enjoying these animals frolic. Fig chased them up and down the tank.

Living free, enjoying simple pleasures with family, I feel more than ever how short our time here on earth is and how precious these times are. I never want to take them for granted. God is good.

 

Days of Small, Beautiful Things

Hello long lost friends! Festive fall greetings to you at long last. It's good to be back. I have been hampered by computer glitches here, making doing anything online sort of trying, and at times impossible. The Pres has done some traveling, Fidget has gotten sick, better, sick, then better again, and we have taken lots of time off to do fun things like frolic at the zoo and aquarium. Fidget made fast friends with the tiger at the zoo, who she calls Boots after the one in a favorite book, Tiger, Tiger by Lynne Reid Banks.I have to wonder: what does that tiger think, so close to her face on the other side of that thick glass? Does he just see a meal, or is he having the same spiritual experience that she is?

Besides making friends with tigers we've also made some friends at our new church's ladies' Bible study and a MomsNext group. We've tried a home schooling co-op and between the two of us Fidget and I have gotten 25 pen pals from International Pen Friends. In between all that I made a long-overdue family newsletter and started taking karate lessons with Fidget. Wow! Sounds like we're keeping busy. 

In addition to that I am still working my way through socks for my brothers in law for Christmas. Somehow I haven't gotten much done lately...I wonder why. Heh heh.

I wish I had some fantastic progress to show in some area. I admit though, lately unless it's about choosing knitting sock colors, I haven't had any thoughts about art. All that stuff I might be involved in at another house is pretty much out of my mind. I haven't had any deep revelations either. I have been trying to honestly assess, as the Bible study works through the book of James, if my faith has works or what it looks like to outsiders. I can't honestly say. But I can say I trust Jesus to do His will in me and work what is pleasing to Him. If this is my desire, I know I am praying in His will and He will answer.

Recently I was reminded of the verse which says 'Who has despised the day of small things?' (Zechariah 4:10) I love this verse. It reminds me that in all these little things, God is doing His will, His beautiful, perfect and all-encompassing will, in my life. So though I may not have socks to show for my time, I've got tigers to visit, pen pals to write, and karate chops to practice, my family to love and care for, and this precious daughter to teach. I don't have to wonder at the sense of it. God is in it all.

Home, for now

Hello again from Virginia! Our family has had a whirlwind move and long camping trip. We're settled back in our tiny 1-bedroom apartment and starting home school this morning. Here are a few scenes from our camping trip, our first down the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We also stopped in SC with sisters in law and their families which included lots of heavenly cousin-time for Fidget.  Above is the quick ferry we took to get to Okracoke Island. 

One of the wild horses on Okracoke, which have been penned up to protect them.

More of Okracoke. It wasn't our only stop, but for some reason we took lots of pictures there. The beach was pretty but we got a lot of bites on the Outer Banks. We found camping much less buggy in SC.

Myrtle Beach was our favorite. There was plenty of wind for kites, and waves for Fidget to practice surfing on her new soft board. 

Here we were at Hunting Island, SC, where we stayed a couple of nights and even got to see old friends and check on our house, Acorn Hollow. The major problem there was an overgrown jungle of garden, but we got a yard man named Moses and a tree team right to work and left the place looking lots better. 

Unfortunately, Fig kept getting a rash on her legs and hips, no matter whether she wore board shorts, regular shorts, or a swim suit. It's just as well summer's ending, she's about had it with the beach for now.

That's not to say she wouldn't like to swim all day. She just turned 8 and we had a week of celebrating. We took her to Water Country USA in Williamsburg, and a local water park twice, as well as Chuck E Cheese and a hibachi restaurant she loves.

We have had such a wonderful family-time summer. God is good. 

And now, we turn our attention to schooling. Today we start My Father's World's Exploring Countries and Cultures curriculum. We are very excited about other countries lately. I signed Fidget up for International Pen Friends so we can wait to see what the mail will bring every day. Of course we can't wait for mail any day, no matter what. The beginning of the school year is a time for a small amount of trepidation on my part but God assures me in my reading that His plans will not be thwarted. I can rest in that. And as I tackle a schedule, biting off small pieces at a time, knowing He is a God is order, not of disorder, I know everything will be fine.