Joyful Domesticity

Just have to give myself a little pat on the back today. <pat, pat>
Last evening I found a container of cottage cheese in my fridge and I thought I should do something with it.
So… for dinner I made up my own version of White Lasagna. My husband practically gushed over its goodness.
I was quite proud of myself. 🙂 I didn’t want to take the time to look up a recipe online just to realize I didn’t have all the “necessary” ingredients. So! I created it myself on the fly with what I had on-hand.
I layered cooked lasagna noodles, cottage cheese, shredded mozzarella, basil leaves (tons), and a chicken/cream sauce (small chicken chunks in a sauce of butter, flour, milk, parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic). Wow.
Sooooo good.
I’m superbly pleased, especially since I made two. That means I can pull the second one out of the freezer whenever I get a hankering for this delight again. 🙂
Okay, I’m done patting myself on the back now. 🙂
Ciao!

For those who want to see my friend’s 2 1/2 pound baby girl, Elise Marie Grace.
In the second picture, the ring on her chest is for perspective.
By the way, she is doing remarkably well in the NICU — God hears our prayers!

Have you ever had “one of those days”?? Well, our house has been full of it today.

Most notably, I lost our mail. This was a matter of some concern, as I was supposed to be taking a handful of mail to the post office — a number of bills including checks, a Blockbuster dvd, and some information for Gabriel’s insurance (including his ss# and everything). So anyway, I’d had lunch at Ashley’s house (and yes, I had taken my mail into her house) and then we were going to run to WalMart together. So, with purse & baby & a bottle of soda in one arm… I had the mail & car keys & a new outfit from Auntie Ashley in my other hand. As I unlocked the car, I put the mail and outfit on top of the car. (Note: never place anything on top of your car.) Then I tossed the purse and soda onto the seat, and buckled-in Gabriel, meanwhile thinking “Don’t forget to grab the stuff off the top of the car.” Well, I got chatting with Ashley and just kind of spaced out… got in the car… drove away… went shopping…
About forty minutes later, we returned to the house and I was about to head to the post office. Suddenly — oops — it hit me. The mail was gone. Then, like the slow motion minute of a film, I had a flashback of buckling Gabriel and leaving the mail & outfit on the top of my car. I thought I would die. I felt my heartrate race and my stomach just felt sick. Ashley and I looked everywhere, just to make sure it wasn’t overlooked. I called Steven, in a total panic. He said to retrace our footsteps (aka tire tracks). So back to WalMart we went, slowly, staring at the gutters and lawns along the way hoping to find my mail scattered somewhere.
No luck.
Nothing.
It was all gone.
<poof>

Long story short, I spent my whole afternoon freaked out and panicked. I called the bank. I called & emailed Steven a few more times. I just kept praying that somehow someone would find the mail and stick it in a mailbox. And I was sad, thinking that Gabriel’s cute new outfit was someplace in a muddy gutter — but I hoped someone in need might find it and wash it up.
Ashley and I watched a movie this afternoon, so I was good and distracted. By the time Steven got home, I gave up hope of finding the mail. We ate dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, and gave Gabriel a bath. While our baby boy was splashing happily in the sink, Dilly barked at something out the window. Steven looked and reported, “there’s someone at our house. There’s a guy on a bike.” I immediately thought, “ooh, Steven will have fun with that Jehovah’s Witness” — but when Steven answered the door, it didn’t sound like a religious call.
“Are you Steven?”
“Yes.”
“Is this your mail?”
MAIL!!!!!!!!!!

I literally jumped for joy, pulled Gabriel splish-splash-quick out of the water, wrapped him in a towel, and ran down to the front door.
“YOU FOUND MY MAIL!!! AND MY BABY’S OUTFIT!!!”
The guy explained that he lived just down the street from my brother and his wife, and that he works right near our house. He found the things in the road outside his house as he was leaving for work — and he said after not finding us in the yellow pages or on google, he came to the address on the return-address labels. I am still amazed. I am so thankful for his kindness and care in returning our mail. He was so nice, and blessed us today more than he can ever know.
So Mr. Bicycle, thank you. 🙂

I wish we could repay him for his kindness.
I asked if he wanted a cookie. 🙂
But he said he’d just finished dinner.

So tomorrow I will be going to the post office. And only to the post office. I will not make any stops along the way. I will go directly to the post office, without passing Go and without collecting two hundred dollars. lol.

THE END. 🙂
Now we’ll get back to fixing some of the other things that have been “off” today…

Since having a baby, I realize that many of my previous routines have become very bendable and fluid. For the most part, that’s been a really good, necessary thing — keeps me from losing my mind, so to speak. 🙂 The one routine that I don’t like having to bend too much, though, is my daily time of Bible reading & prayer. I’m not a pharisee about it, so if the routine doesn’t happen one day, it doesn’t happen. No biggee. We’ll get back to it tomorrow. But I’ve been thinking about it recently, reading about some of my friends’ routines, encouraging one another to be diligent & thoughtful in whatever routine we have — and anyway, I thought I’d ask on here… WHAT’S YOUR ROUTINE??
What time of day to you dedicate to Bible reading and prayer?
Do you have a specific place where you do it?
What do the kids do meanwhile?
Do you have a set time to do devotions with your spouse or family?
What does that look like?
Do you have a prayer journal, and what does that involve?
Do you catechize the kids? What do you use?

My own routine tends to be coupled with my morning cup of coffee. I guess the idea is that without either one I won’t make it very well through the day, haha! 😉 I like it best when I do the reading at my desk, but sometimes I stand up at the kitchen counter or lie on the bed. Gabriel is usually right nearby, either in my lap or in his bouncy seat. After doing my own reading (right now I’m in 2nd Samuel — and I also always have 1 or 2 devotionals/books I read in addition), I read a Psalm to Gabriel. Then sometimes I turn on a cd of Psalm singing, and sing along while doing housework — Gabriel loves that. Steven is usually off at work during this routine, providing for our family. In the evening -usually during Gabriel’s bedtime meal- Steven reads to us as a family. I love that. I’m looking forward to the time when Gabriel gets a little older and we can incorporate some family singing & catechism into the scheme. I’ve never had an official prayer journal, I tend to use sticky-notes more than anything. 🙂 But I’m thinking it might be a really neat thing to start. Write down things I am praying for/about, and ways that I see God working in these things.

So there’s my bit. In an effort to encourage one another to daily pursue God and His kingdom, now give me your nickel’s worth! 🙂

* Ryan and Shelby named their little daughter Elise Marie. 🙂 Elise is doing quite well in the NICU, praise God. The road ahead is still long and needs to be bathed in much prayer. But we are all seeing God’s faithfulness to this baby and her family in both large and small ways. He is good and merciful! Did I mention that I was blessed to be able to visit Elise in the NICU the day she was born? She is lovely, delicate, and beautiful. Her tiny hand grasped her mommy’s finger, and it melted my heart. Next time, I’ll be sure to have a camera in my purse!
* Gabriel David was TWO MONTHS yesterday!! I can’t believe it. He’s almost 13 pounds now, and I think he may be taller than his daddy someday. 🙂
* I’m so thankful for my husband, who has been diligently taking care of me & Gabriel the last couple of days as I’ve been plagued with mastitis. Steven blesses me so much.
* I’ve had Starbucks twice in the last week. That = me being super spoiled.

That’s all the news I can think of. Pretty much sums up life right now. 🙂

Today we are rejoicing with our very dear friends Ryan and Shelby. God has blessed their family with a new baby girl! At only 29 weeks, this little girl is fighting valiantly to grow and breathe on her own. We are so thankful that our God is sovereign and is in control. We are thankful that the delivery last night was successful, and that Shelby is recovering well. We are thankful for the peace God has given the family. We are thankful for a great NICU and wonderful medical care for this baby.
If you think of it, rejoice with us and with our friends over this great blessing of a little girl!
And if you would, please entreat our Heavenly Father to continue His grace and mercy upon her. She is 2 lbs 9 oz, and we know that God has great plans for this tiny but mighty covenant daughter.

Just a few quick pix for everyone!
Steven is using the brand new baby carrier that arrived this afternoon. It’s a Babyhawk mei tai carrier and he loves it already! I don’t think I’ll get to try it out until tomorrow. 🙂

Gabriel got his passport in the mail this week! So now he’s ready to travel the world!!

I recently stitched Gabriel’s arrow tag. Each time God blesses my womb, we add an arrow to the quiver on Steven’s study wall. Last summer I stitched Covenant Hope an arrow tag, and this summer I stitched Gabriel David his tag. Pretty nifty!

This weekend, we left Gabriel for five hours in the afternoon while we went to a glorious wedding! It was a wonderful time of celebration — and it was fun to get out on a “fancy date” of sorts. 🙂 And yes, Gabriel did wonderfully in his grandparents’ care. 🙂 He even took his very first bottle!