Author: joyfuldomesticity

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Tuesday April 20, 2010

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Dear mother earth, who day by day
Unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
Let them His glory also show.

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

And thou most kind and gentle Death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

~Francis of Assisi, cir­ca 1225 (Can­ti­co di frat­re so­le, Song of Bro­ther Sun). He wrote this hymn short­ly be­fore his death, but it was not pub­lished for al­most 400 years. Trans­lat­ed to Eng­lish by William H. Draper for a children’s Whit­sun­tide fes­ti­val in Leeds, Eng­land; first ap­peared in the Pub­lic School Hymn Book, 1919~

Thou hidden source of calm repose,
Thou all sufficient love divine,
My help and refuge from my foes,
Secure I am if Thou art mine;
And lo! from sin and grief and shame
I hide me, Jesus, in Thy Name.

Thy mighty Name salvation is,
And keeps my happy soul above;
Comfort it brings, and power and peace,
And joy and everlasting love;
To me with Thy dear Name are given
Pardon and holiness and Heaven.

Jesus, my all in all Thou art,
My rest in toil, my ease in pain,
The healing of my broken heart,
In war my peace, in loss my gain,
My smile beneath the tyrant’s frown,
In shame my glory and my crown.

In want my plentiful supply,
In weakness my almighty power,
In bonds my perfect liberty,
My light in Satan’s darkest hour,
In grief my joy unspeakable,
My life in death, my Heaven in hell.

~Charles Wesley, “Hymns and Sac­red Po­ems“, 1749~

Psalm 4
(With interspersed thoughts by me, praying this psalm, in italics.)

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
(Sometimes I feel like I am literally begging You to answer. And sometimes I can’t tell if you do.)
   You have given me relief when I was in distress.
(You are my only relief. My distress chases me daily. Continue to be my relief!)
   Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
(Hear me, please. Listen to the cries of your maidservant. Have mercy on my humble estate.)

O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
   How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?
                    Selah
(Oh Lord, sometimes I feel like my own honor is shameful. I feel tempted to love vanity and lies, as it is sometimes easier than loving righteousness and truth, for the devil is sugar-coated and cunning. Cause me to be honorable. And cause me to not only seek righteousness and truth, but to love it with every bone in my body.)

But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself;
   the LORD hears when I call to Him.
(Lord, I am Yours; You have called me and adopted me as Your child. As my Father, hear my prayers, my calls, my cries, my pleas.)

Be angry, and do not sin;
    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
                     Selah
(So often, Lord, I feel anger bubbling up inside. Sometime it is righteous anger, and sometimes it is not. Forgive me, Father, for sinning in anger. Teach me to have anger only as You do. As I silently lie here and ponder You and Your kingdom, Your people and Your ways; teach me righteous love, righteous compassion, and righteous anger. I am angry at sin, at death, at their consequences.)

Offer right sacrifices,
   and put your trust in the LORD.
(I bring you a broken spirit, my Lord, a broken and contrite heart. Be please to accept these sacrifices, as I praise You both in joy and in tears. Cause me to trust You more and more each day, and lead me paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake.)

 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
    Lift up the light of Your face upon us, O LORD!”
(People have asked me recently why I trust You. And how I know that You lift the light of Your face upon us. Of this I am confident, though: You do, and You will. Show us some good, my Lord, according to Your great measure of mercies.)
You have put more joy in my heart
   than they have when their grain and wine abound.
(The joy in my heart comes from You, from Your salvation, from Your promises to me as Your child. All the promises of earth and vanity are nothing but vapors and lies. Remind me daily, my King, to drink from the well of joy You have placed in my heart by Your grace.)

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
   for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
(Thank You for peace, for rest, for eternal safety in Your bosom. Thank You, my Father, for these blessings! Bless and keep us, and make Your face to shine upon us, lift up Your countenance upon us, and give us peace. You are our shepherd and captain. Keep us mindful of Your careful, gentle hand; show us Your mighty protection and wise guiding.)

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Saturday April 17, 2010

  • Sleeping in and relaxing under the covers with husby.
  • The fact that my coffee tasted better today, thanks to running vinegar through the coffee maker yesterday.
  • Watching my husband take dominion of our yard all afternoon.
  • The smell of freshly cut grass.
  • Talking to my mom on the phone.
  • Taking dominion of my home, as well as my body and mind and heart.
  • Planting herbs, and watering the flowers I planted yesterday.
  • Gabriel, when he dumped the watering can over onto himself & was scared out of wits because he was suddenly sopping wet.
  • Gabriel, because he has been living in just a diaper along with socks & shoes ever since that incident – he did not want more clothes on.
  • Weather warm enough to actually have the screen door open today.
  • Baking, baking, baking! Blackberry bars, chocolate bundt cake, and stromboli.
  • New recipes: a pork chop & sweet potatoes dish from last night, and stromboli for tonight.
  • My dad, driving up in my brother’s beat-up old truck with a bed full of sheep manure.
  • Watching my father and husband haul barrow after barrow of manure back to my eagerly awaiting garden plot.
  • The bulbs Steven planted for me last year: the daffodils and hyacinths are gorgeously blooming, and the tulips look about ready to burst into bloom, too.
  • Reading bits from: The Loveliness of Christ, Toward Jerusalem, One Year book of Hope, and Womanly Dominion.
  • Sunshine and a cool breeze.
  • Anticipating having some old friends from college over tonight for dessert.
  • Playing piano & harp, and singing; preparing for worship tomorrow.
  • Anticipating having family over for dinner tomorrow after church.
  • Dilly, curled up on my legs while sitting here on the floor with my laptop.
  • Remembering that God is faithful, and that I am His daughter. And His wife. 🙂
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Wednesday April 14, 2010

I needed these beautiful, powerful little reminders today, and thought I would share them with you.
Emphases mine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know all created power should sink under me if I should lean down upon it,
and therefore it is better to rest on God than sink or fall;
and we weak souls must have a bottom and being place,
for we cannot stand out alone.
Let us then be wise in our choice and choose and wail our own blessedness,
which is to trust in the Lord.

Why should I start at the plough of my Lord, that makest deep furrows on my soul?
I know He is no idle husbandman, He purposeth a crop.

How sweet a thing were it for us to learn to make our burdens light
by framing our hearts to the burden, and making our Lord’s will a law.

It is not the sunny side of Christ that we must look to, and we must not forsake Him for want of that;
but must set our face against what may befall us,
in following on till He and we be through the briers and bushes on the dry ground.
Our soft nature would be borne through the troubles of this miserable life in Christ’s arms.
And it is His wisdom, who knoweth our mould, that His bairns go wet-shod and cold-footed to heaven.

My shallow and ebb thoughts are not the compass Christ saileth by.
I leave His ways to Himself, for they are far, far above me…
There are windings and to’s and fro’s in His ways, which blind bodies like us cannot see.

He taketh the bairns in His arms when they come to a deep water;
at least, when they lose ground, and are put to swim, then His hand is under their chin.

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Tuesday April 13, 2010

I think I’ve previously established with everyone that when I am stressed, I bake. Well, I bake more than usual, I should say. And I try to pawn off goodies onto people. For instance, yesterday I was particularly on the verge of being overwhelmed — so (in addition to homemade pizza) I baked two types of sweet quick breads to send to work with Steven today, in order to spoil his coworkers a bit. Thankfully we have a lot going on this week, so I have more excuses people to bake for. One fellowship group tonight, another on Thursday, pastoral visitation on Wednesday, and company coming over for dessert on Saturday.
I need to buy more sugar.

This is the lemon bread (I also made apple bread – I’ll post it another time) I made yesterday, and will likely make another loaf to take to the fellowship group on Thursday. I used a Meyer lemon from my grandparents’ tree. I don’t know if any other lemon would make this as perfectly. 🙂 Recipe originally from Hot Providence, page 51.

LEMON BREAD

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
Lemon zest of 1 lemon (remove zest first for the bread, then juice the lemon for topping)

1/4 cup sugar & juice of one lemon = the topping.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Add the milk, melted butter, beaten eggs, and lemon zest. Pour into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together 1/4 cup sugar and the lemon juice; let sit. Remove from oven, but leave the bread in the pan. Carefully (and liberally) poke top surface of loaf with a fork (or toothpick); then pour the topping/glaze over entire surface of the bread. Leave in the pan to cool completely.
This slices easily and evenly.
Just delicious!

This is the cookie recipe I made today for tonight’s fellowship group. They are so delicate, I think they need to be served on china saucers. Recipe from a friend.

LIME SUGAR COOKIES

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons lime zest (I zested an entire large lime)
1/4 cup lime juice (my lime only produced about 2 Tblsp juice, so I used about 2 Tblsp lemon juice to make the rest)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter, sugar and egg. Mix in lime juice and lime zest. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.

Roll dough into small balls (I didn’t roll them because the dough was pretty sticky; I just tried to dollop the dough as neatly as possible), & place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 minutes or until they are slightly browned (mine baked for about 13 minutes).

Place cookies on a cooling rack and (once completely cooled) sift powdered sugar over cookies.

 

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Sunday April 11, 2010

The challah I made for Easter dinner. So good! And I have a second loaf in the freezer. 🙂

The feast!

Playing outside and doing their first Easter egg hunt (with empty eggs, haha).


Did I mention that Noah & Hannah got handmade wooden carts for their birthday from Grandpapa? So we had all three carts, and let the kids have races together. Mostly, though, Hannah likes to be pushed by Gabriel; Pretty funny.

On an impromptu ice cream date with Mommy & Daddy after we went to the mall so Daddy could buy some clothes, and Gabriel could ride the escalators (over and over…) with Mommy. 🙂

Coloring, one of Gabriel’s new enjoyments.

Steven & I went on a date (the broadway show tickets were my birthday gift from him!) last evening.

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Sunday April 11, 2010

Yesterday at church I attended a homeschool forum for moms. There were about 18 ladies total, I believe, and it was exciting to go and represent a second generation homeschooler. The women were quick to acknowledge that not only do I plan on home educating long term, but I have already been doing so for two years. It was a blessing to glean wisdom and encouragement from the other homeschooling ladies there, enjoy lunch, and simply fellowship. It was a true blessing. There are always moments at those types of things where I want to hide in the corner and cry for a minute, but then there are also beautiful moments where I feel content and thankful and encouraged. Overall, it was a great time, and I am thankful that I was able to participate.

Three moms, experienced in the home educating field, gave “sessions” in addition to our group conversations and Q&A. Here are some of the bullet points I gleaned from them. Not necessarily new ideas altogether, but great reminders!

~Mrs. B spoke (and shared lots of books) on biblical home-life in the midst of homeschooling:

  • Don’t neglect the church due to homeschooling. Incorporate the two.
  • Teach the “3 Rs” from a biblical worldview.
  • Face the enemy of unbelief head-on.
  • The method of schooling will not produce belief, but it can shape & disciple belief.
  • Prepare your children to surpass you in love & good works.
  • Honesty is the first step in proper idol-smashing.
  • Homeschooling can be the biggest sanctifying tool in a woman’s life.
  • Confess quickly your desire to appear perfect.
  • Fight problems, not people.
  • Don’t be afraid to learn from one another. Glean from your sisters, don’t compete with them.
  • Home education is a natural preservative of family identity.
  • Nurture family identity while individually nurturing children & their identities.
  • Treat sons with dignity.
  • Train daughters & sons differently.
  • Reward your headmaster (your husband).

~Mrs. K spoke on objective objectives:

  • HSLDA membership is key.
  • “Home educate” is not equal to “home school” in that we are not trying to recreate government schools at home.
  • Don’t get caught up in curriculum.
  • The obvious objective is for our kids to love God with all their soul, mind, heart, & strength; and to love their neighbors as themselves.
  • Different families have different academic objectives.
  • Don’t educate your kids so as to limit their opportunities (especially sons).
  • Highly educate your daughters (prepare them for college, too) so they are equipped to teach your grandkids.
  • Never compare other kids’ public behavior with your kids’ private behavior.
  • Your objectives are never set in stone; reevaluate frequently with your husband.
  • Shelter yourself under your husband and his authority.

~Mrs. S spoke on how to provide a quality education at home:

  • Regardless of curriculum, be consistent and strong in faithful educational foundations, especially through 8th grade.
  • Let each child have a bookcase for their own “library seeds” as their book collections grow; give them books for Christmas and birthdays and other celebrations.
  • To encourage ownership, give a “belongs to” stamp/engraver to each child.
  • Have a file cabinet (or drawer, or file) for each child’s school history.
  • Family-to-family fellowship and camaraderie is huge and can be lifelong.
  • “Enriching activities” are excellent — sports, music, chess, debate team, etc.
  • Think outside the box and be creative.
  • Model curiosity for your children. Pursue your interests as an example for your children.
  • Let your children see you reading and learning.
  • Continue discussing — with hubby, with kids, with peers. Discuss and learn and be curious.
  • Beware becoming the “uber homeschooler.”

~When I asked what a mom (like myself) of a toddler can do now to work on pursuing good home education long-term, I was told that Legos are an excellent teaching and learning tool, teaching tactile things (building, stacking, counting, colors, etc) while also working on lengthening a child’s attention span. Bible study is (obviously) great, beginning with the child from infancy; practicing sitting, again expanding the attention span, reading, listening, etc. One mom told me “I have gotten a lot more out of my toddlers with ten jelly beans sometimes than I ever do with a hundred spankings.” 😉

I enjoyed being able to tuck away some of these things for the future, as well as knowing some things to currently begin incorporating. I’m looking forward to continuing dipping my toes in with this wonderful group of Christian homeschooling moms!

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Wednesday April 7, 2010

Lord of the brooding blue
Of pleasant summer skies,
Lord of each little bird that through
The clear air flies,
‘Tis wonderful to me
That I am loved by Thee.

Lord of the blinding heat,
Of mighty wind and rain,
The city’s crowded street,
Desert and peopled plain,
‘Tis wonderful to me
That I am loved by Thee.

Lord of night’s jeweled roof,
Day’s various tapestry,
Lord of the warp and woof
Of all that yet shall be,
‘Tis wonderful to me
That I am loved by Thee.

Lord of my merry cheers,
My grey that turns to gold,
And my most private tears
And comforts manifold,
‘Tis wonderful to me
That I am loved by Thee.

~Amy Carmichael~

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Monday April 5, 2010

2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


I have been feeling emotionally weakened the last couple of days.

I am searching for sufficient grace.
I am glad that I don’t have to look far.
I don’t honestly even have to look at all.
God provides it.
Christ’s power may rest on me & fill me in my weakness.

So here I am.
Weak in spirit, and about to feel very weak in body. (it’s infusion week!)
I am not afraid to proclaim it.
For Christ is sufficient.
And His grace is abounding.

I am weak.
Therefore I am strong.
Amen.

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Saturday April 3, 2010

I feel like the feelings of ‘today’ rather epitomize where I am in life.
Yesterday was Good Friday.
Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday.
How do you keep faith and hope alive during Saturday?

That’s when Jesus’ followers thought all was lost and they were overwhelmed by grief, for they had just buried their Son/Brother/Teacher/Friend. (Did they know they had just buried their Savior??) Did they know the Resurrection was coming?

Saturday -today- is that time of waiting between the terrible darkness of Good Friday and the glory of Resurrection Sunday truth. When Jesus’ people did not know whether or not there would be glorious resurrection.

In some ways, this last year has felt like one long Good Friday for me, and now I am in the Saturday of waiting. Wondering what is going to happen. Knowing that there will be some sort of resurrection (when I die, if nothing else), but wondering where, when, how…

How do I keep faith and hope not only in God but in His works and in His people, when I feel like the grief is too fresh and any sort of resurrection is beyond my reach or too far away??

I want to experience His power and glory apart from getting the desires of my own heart. I want to know His power and glory even in my weakest and darkest moments.
Because, ultimately, I want His people & the world to see my joy is because of who He is and what He accomplished at THE Resurrection — not just my joy if/when He fulfills the desires He has put in my heart.

So today as we prepare for and await Resurrection Sunday, remember that today is a day of wondering, a day of fresh grief, a day of the unknown.

I feel, still, like it is a day that epitomizes this season of my life.

May God be glorified. May He be close.
May we praise Him rightly tomorrow, in glory and truth and righteousness, as we remember Jesus’ resurrection, as we look ahead to the final Resurrection, and as we look for little resurrections in our lives!

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Friday April 2, 2010

My mom grew up in a Jewish community, so we’re thinking maybe we should give some of her old neighbors a call — and it just so happens that my grandparents are still good friends with one of the couples, so it’s actually a reasonable thought. 🙂 So maybe my mom will do that, and we’ll get some truly experienced input on Seder meals. 🙂 But for this year, I managed to simply look through some stuff online (primarily the links I’d shared earlier), and put together a Seder meal for 5 (the 3 of us, plus my parents). Although Steven ended up having to work late, so we didn’t have time to do much of the liturgy before we needed to head out to our parish fellowship night, we did a little of it. My mom lit the candles and said the opening prayer. We did the four glasses of wine (who would skip those?!), and the toasts (if you call them that) with those, and I read some of the extra stuff, like the explanations of what things meant, etc. And Steven read Psalm 113 as part of it as well. So it was a much shortened version, but it was still fun — especially for a first try. When Gabriel is older, he will really like it, I think. He loves liturgical things (he is so our boy).

Here is our [roughly] Seder plate, with the symbolic foods on it: bitter herbs, salt water, a bone (umm, yeah, so our lamb roast was boneless & I had to improvise by using a dog toy….), charoset (a sweet mixture of apples, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, sweet red wine, and honey), matzoh crackers (the matzoh balls were on a separate plate), and hard boiled egg.

Here are the child (Gabriel had brought home a communion cup a few weeks ago, so it was perfect for his wine glass) & adult place settings (don’t you love those small green wine glasses my mom has?).
 
The food, and the table. For the dinner feast part of the meal, we had grilled lamb (my mom did that part — I don’t really know how to grill!), a grain mixture I bought at Trader Joe’s last week (Israeli couscous, orzo, garbanzo beans, and quinoa), green beans from my garden last year, hard boiled eggs, matzoh bread, matzoh balls, and charoset.
   
Ready to eat!!

Loving the wine (are you noticing that he didn’t stay in his high chair, and didn’t want to use his tiny wine glass?) — it really tasted like [barely] spiked Welch’s, it was that sweet. I bought kosher wine, Manischewitz, and while not my favorite wine ever, it was great to have something authentic like that (it’s what the Jewish families in my mom’s childhood neighborhood used for Passover).
 

It was fun to do the Seder meal together, and I hope we can develop it more in future years.
Now I am looking forward to the Good Friday service tonight, where I am going to attempt to accompany the entire service on my harp. If I can muscle through the pain of my blisters, that’s my intent. And then I just won’t be able to play harp for a couple weeks, I think. 🙂 I also semi smashed my pointer finger in the car door two days ago (when delivering my harp to the church), so that is making it slightly difficult as well.
And then Resurrection Sunday!! I have to be at church at 8:30 to practice an anthem on organ with two trumpets, a trombone, and our little church choir. Then there’s brunch at church, but I think maybe I will just come home to get my boys, and not bother about staying for the brunch. I get to play organ for most of the service on Sunday, which Gabriel will love. And then after church we will head to the country for our Easter Feast! Tomorrow I will be making pineapple casserole (not using that linked recipe, but it’s similar: mine has cinnamon though!!) and challah for my part of the meal.