Catching up 1

Blurg. I hate being sick! But then, who doesn't? ( No, I know what you're thinking. Not that kind of sick. This was the headache, sore throat, light fever variety.) It's gotten me a bit behind in my Christmas plans and - obviously - a bit behind in posting here.


Before getting sick, Nate and I got to call an English Country Dance for a group of friends. It was tremendous fun, and went much better than last time since Alaina is now much older, right Nate? ;-)




Megan P. did Haley's and my hair for the occasion - what a treat!


Such a great group of dancers! We tried out some tough dances on them, and they were such troopers! I think everyone got a good workout. :-)


Faith H. and Haley between dances. I didn't get many pictures myself, since I was busy calling, so these are off the blogs of others (Thanks C. Crew and P. Fam!).


New friends! Susan, Emily, Kristy, Carol, Britteny and Megan.





More pictures to come (if I can get mine to load!) . . .

For the Seamstresses

I made Alaina a play dress out of flannel scraps this fall, and I used an easy technique that imitates smocking. I call it the "Mock Smock".

You simply put in several rows of stitching, gather them and leave the thread in. Easy as can be, looks fun and it's even held up to all the crawling and twisting babies do. At least so far. ;-)

Best Time of Year

Well, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving - we sure did! We had five wonderful days with family, lots of visiting, splendid times, and no pictures. No, not one. Sometimes it's more important to live life than to document it. ;-)



We're gearing up for Christmas, playing music non stop, and planning our gifts and goodies. Oh yes, and learning that the Christmas tree is to be seen and not touched. While I love this time of year, I have to admit that I'm still in a Thanksgiving mood. Then again, gratitude is never out of season!

Not much else of interest . . . yet. Just wanted to stick something up. Happy December!

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.


So much to be thankful for! May your day overflow with rejoicing.

New Blessings

Today I'm grateful for some new blessings, such as:

A recently shared time with friends,

Good fun and good fellowship,

(Three tiles left!)

People who are generous with their talents,

and the correcting, renewing Word of God.

Those are some of my newest blessings!

Kyle and I are reviewing the story of Thanksgiving together - I can't wait for the weekend!

Baby Girl

WARNING: this post contains mature themes that are not for little readers.

Well, we've passed a big milestone here! How is it that we can go from this

to this

so quickly? The infant seat has been retired, and now we're up in a big girl seat where we can see the world go by.

I am so, so grateful for my little girl. Alaina is such a joy!

I'm grateful for something else too. I'm grateful that I wasn't punished for having her. The Christian concept that each person is a valuable reflection of the image of God is still much a part of our culture. But in other areas of the world less touched by God's truth, women who have a baby girl are punished as though they had committed a crime.

If I lived in one of many Muslim countries, I could have been easily divorced in favor of another wife (or several other wives), and no one would have blinked an eye.

If I were part of a minority tribe in Tibet, and my "trial marriage" had resulted in Alaina's birth, I would have been banished to live in a goat skin hut in high altitudes where many do not survive.

In China, chances are I would have been pressured or forced to kill Alaina in the womb, so as not to waste my one chance for a child. It is hard for us to believe that all of these things are happening in 2009.

I am so thankful for my little girl. I'm so grateful for a husband who knows Christ, who delights in his girls and treats us as his most precious treasures. I am so very grateful for God's revealed word, the Bible, which offers value, protection and purpose to each of us.

Heroes

Today, I'm grateful for heroes.

Earlier this year I re-read The Hiding Place. Betsie Ten Boom is one of my heroes. It always amazes me to read about this middle aged spinster who was taken from her quiet life to radiate the love and victory of Christ in the midst of a Nazi concentration camp. It makes you wonder - how does someone with a very ordinary life develop that kind of amazing Christ-likeness? The kitchen just doesn't seem like a very good training ground for a hero.

The Hiding Place isn't primarily about Betsie, but it does give some intriguing glimpses into her life and how God transformed her into a woman who would pray for Nazis and give thanks for lice (even before she knew their purpose!).

Betsie on the left, with Corrie standing beside her.

First of all, we learn that Betsie suffered from a life long illness - Pernicious anemia. Among other trials, this prevented her from being able to have children, so Betsie decided not to get married. That's all that we are told, but I don't think we should take it lightly. I'm sure that had to be a huge decision in her life. There is no more natural and worthy desire in a woman's heart than to be married and have children, and yet we see Betsie give up these precious things and yet keep a heart free from bitterness and open to God's plan for her life.

We get another glimpse of her training as we see her willingly work in an uncomfortable job unsuited to her gifts. For some period of time, probably a number of years, Betsie worked as her Father's bookkeeper while her sister Corrie kept house. Then Betsie got the flu and Corrie took over the bookkeeping, and the family discovered that Corrie enjoyed the book work while Betsie longed to care for the house! Naturally they made the switch and both sisters were happy in the job for which they were suited. Being more of Betsie's bent myself, I can easily imagine the frustration and headaches her bookkeeping job may have caused her. Yet for years she performed her task so cheerfully that those dearest to her did not know she was giving up what she liked best.

Betsie, Willem, Nollie and Corrie

We also see that she made her kitchen a place of service, both to her family and to others in need. In the care and creativity she brought to her housekeeping we see a hit of the skill and thought for others that would bring order and beauty into her prison cell. In the glimpses we get of her reaching out to others, we see the seeds of her later decision to help others, even at the cost of her own life.

I'm grateful for Betsie, and many other heroes whose lives encourage me to reach higher and surrender more, and I hope and pray that my time in the kitchen will be as fruitful a training ground as hers!