Mindful on Memorial Day

Living in America, we have so many freedoms to be thankful for - the freedom to get an education, the freedom to travel, the freedom to live in a place of our choice, the freedom of speech, and so many more. Freedom is so dear - and to all those who have sacrificed so greatly to preserve it - thank you today and always. May we always be mindful of what you've given.

Memorial Day by Theodosia Pickering Garrison

A handful of old men walking down the village street
In worn, brushed uniforms, their gray heads high;
A faded flag above them, one drum to lift their feet-
Look again, O heart of mine, and see what passes by!

There's a vast crowd swaying, there's a wild band playing,
The streets are full of marching men, or tramping cavalry.
Alive and young and straight again, they ride to greet a mate again-
The gallant souls, the great souls that live eternally!

A handful of old men walking down the highways?
Nay, we look on heroes that march among their peers,
The great, glad Companions have swung from heaven's byways
And come to join their own again across the dusty years.

There are strong hands meeting, there are staunch hearts greeting-
A crying of remembered names, of deeds that shall not die.
A handful of old men?-
Nay, my heart, look well again; The spirit of America today is marching by!

Nothing Like Slave Labor

Or a new vacuum. It's a good thing too. In a I'm-not-going-to-use-my-brain moment, I gave Juliette a slice of bread for a snack, and didn't insist on making her eat it at the table.

I'd recommend not doing that. Especially if your vacuum is broken!

May Flowers

We've had a frigid spring. Yesterday was the first time this year that it hit seventy degrees. And we had a blizzard on Tuesday. Snow, hail, fog. Yep, nothing like spring on the High Arid Plains. At least these beauties have been around to brighten things up!

More Please

Juliette is an okay vegetable eater - she'll usually eat peas, green beans, yams, avocados, corn, and broccoli. Usually. But forget about cauliflower, carrots, celery, or lettuce. And the only way she'll touch spinach is if it is baked in something or put into a smoothie (that recipe is here). But there is one thing she will always eat - macaroni and cheese. So tonight, I made a "healthy" version of macaroni and cheese, and she couldn't get enough. I gave her three heaping servings of it, and she practically licked the plate. Little did she know, she was eating one of the vegetables on her "do not touch" list. Poor girl, she doesn't know who she's up against.

I have to say, that I enjoyed a generous helping of this stuff too. If I hadn't made it myself, I don't think I would have been able to tell it wasn't a real alfredo sauce. So enjoy. We sure did!

Macaroni with White Cheese Sauce*

1/2 lb cooked whole wheat pasta shells

1/2 a head of cauliflower, cut into small florets

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup chicken stock (I cheated and just used a left over ramen noodle chicken flavoring packet dissolved in water - chicken bouillon works too)

1 cup parmesan cheese

Directions: Steam the cauliflower for 20 minutes. Cool. Cook the garlic in the olive oil over med. heat until brown. Add the chicken stock and heat thoroughly. Put the garlic mixture and cauliflower in a blender and puree until entirely smooth. Pour back into a sauce pan and heat until steaming. Pour the sauce over the pasta shells and stir in the parmesan cheese. Add a pinch of salt if necessary. Eat up, those veggies are good for you!

*This was based off a Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe you can find here.

Momma's Little Helper

As I mentioned, Jewel figured out how to move a chair to the kitchen counter in April. Here she is "helping" wash dishes.





Now if she could just figure out that soap bubbles aren't for eating. . .

Not-Me-Monday: Sunburn and Snow

This week I did not decide to make ramen noodles, nor did I accidentally pour all of the noodles into a sink of dirty dishes while trying to do the "fancy straining" technique my husband does with just a plate over the sauce pan. I did not decide to salvage as much as I could, by picking out tiny pieces of noodles from around the pile of dirty dishes. That is totally disgusting. Not me.

I did not forget that it is much, much, much warmer in The Big City, nor did decide to mow the lawn without sunscreen - thinking "what's a little sun" on my white (hello practically albino!) shoulders. I have not been refusing all hugs and cuddles from everyone for the past two days because my skin is on fire, either. Not me!

My husband did not confess that a few weeks ago he got into Juliette's crib just to see if he could fit. He is definitely not over the weight limit. I did not laugh and laugh over the mental image of my husband curled up in Juliette's crib, with his big face smooshed against the bars. The thought also did not go through my mind that he is the wackiest guy I know! How does he come up with these things?

I also did not accuse him of lying when he told me that it was snowing here at the house, while I was enjoying 87 degree weather in The Big City. Not me! And then I did not proceed to wear my shorts and flip-flops home, sporting my sunburned shoulders and all, only to find that he wasn't lying and that the weather looked like this:

And after spending a weekend in this weather -

I was not even a little bit bummed about living in a place with only two seasons: Winter and July. Nope. Not me!

~~~

Want to join the confessional Not-Me-Monday fun? Go to:

They Get Me Every Time

"It is in families we are broken and it is in families that we are healed." - Carl Whittaker

I've shared, in very vague terms, that this past year has been quite a struggle for my extended family. There may be a time to go into more details, but I'm not sure that the details are necessary in order to share with you how God has used this time of pain for a greater good in my life. As I type this, I admit that my eyes are getting teary - I'm overwhelmed by the ways in which God loves us, the ways in which He redeems us, the ways in which He can cause "all things to work together for good for those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose" - Romans 8:28.

Over the course of this past year, I've certainly learned how helpless I am. I can't change people, and I can't change situations. And for a control freak like me, that is not an easy lesson to learn. But God has also proved Himself entirely faithful - He listens, and even when if felt like the doors of heaven were completely bolted shut, He was still listening. I wish I could say that I never despaired, never doubted, never gave up - I did. But God, in His faithfulness never gave up on me, the situation, or anyone else in the situation. In moments of great pain and desperation, when all hope seemed lost, Jesus revealed Himself as the only true hope, and oh what a hope He is!

There were so many Scriptures that came to have new meaning during this time, but there was one passage that I just can't help but share:

"For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threat, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." - 1 Peter 2:21-25

Those words get me every time - right in the pit of my stomach. There is nothing airy and light about the fact that we are called "for this purpose" - to suffer as Christ suffered. It is not easy, might I say sometimes seemingly impossible, to not revile, to not sin, to not utter threats when faced with pain, mistreatment, and persecution. But it is what we are called to do - to follow Christ's example. Man oh man, do I have a long way to go.

These words don't promise that all will be fixed the way we want it either. But rather, it says that we are to follow Christ's example and keep entrusting ourselves to the Righteous Judge. It means keeping our mouths shut and believing that that God will judge, heal, and restore to righteousness. It means believing that the Great Healer can use even the wounds of our lives to bring about healing and righteousness to others. It means believing that the Shepherd and Guardian of our soul will be faithful to do His job - taking good care of His sheep.

I'm not a quick learner. In fact, I'm sorry to say that throughout this year there were so many times I did not follow Christ's example. But I guess I wanted to share all this because the Lord has been so sweet to me - and I just can't help talking about it. He has brought and continues to bring me hope, healing, and vision for the ways in which He can turn pain and suffering into a beautiful witness. He has taught me that He can make even the bitterest of waters sweet. That He is not only a God of hopeless causes, but a God of all comfort. He is tender even to the most tortured of souls.

Maybe you're there - maybe you're in a place where your heart hurts so much that it feels like your chest might just rip in two. Maybe you're standing at that dead end, realizing you can't go any further, you can't change your circumstances, you can't change your loved one, or you can't even change yourself. Maybe you've been completely broken by pain and suffering. Maybe all you can do is stare helplessly at your wounds. My friend - entrust, entrust, entrust.

Entrust yourself to the Righteous Judge. Entrust yourself to the Shepherd and Guardian of your Souls. Entrust yourself to the Great and Mighty Healer. He listens. He knows. He's been there. After all, it is only by His wounds that we ourselves are healed.

Take heart. This is our calling. This is our purpose. This is our hope.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." - Psalms 147:3

April in 200 Words or Less

We started the month off with an ending – the last performance of the 5th and 6th grade drama club. The students did a great job and I was more than pleased with their efforts! Then it was off to Oklahoma to visit Seth’s best friend and his precious family. We celebrated Easter with them and enjoyed touring the military post where they are stationed, and taking our boat out for its first spin of the season. Once we got home, Juliette and I went to visit Seth’s parents and grandparents for spring break. Construction on Seth’s project had begun, which meant that he was working 12-16 hour days and couldn’t join us. But we had plenty of fun anyways (don’t worry, he was missed)! Later in the month we celebrated my step-grandfather’s 80th birthday, which included a sushi-making party. Unfortunately, a snow storm made us late, but thankfully we didn’t miss the eating part. The month ended with my violin students performing a concert for the residents of our local nursing home. And Juliette started saying sentences, and learned how to push a chair to the kitchen counter. That’s basically it in a nutshell - in exactly two hundred words.

Rushing By . . .

For the past seven weeks we've been a one camera family. Well, we've pretty much always been a one camera family, but Seth's construction season has started and he has needed the family camera for job documentation. So that leaves me virtually camera-less - except for the weekends when Seth remembers to bring it home from the office. I'm not complaining, I'm simply explaining why my blog has been MIA. Honestly, for me, blogging without pictures is pretty much like peanut butter without jelly - sticky, dry, and possibly gag-reflux-inducing if you have too much of it. But time certainly hasn't stopped since we've been a one camera family.

So I'm resolving to try and catch up as best as I can and post what precious few pictures I have. For now I will share this picture my friend took at our spring music recital last weekend. Please indulge me a second here, but isn't she grand? Bye bye little baby, hello little girl.

Is it just me, or is time rushing by?