February Fun

This is a very late post now that it's the end of March. I'm still going back to revisit February however, since it was so much fun. It was full of a baptism birthday, multiple 13th birthday celebrations, Chinese New Year, basketball tournament in Ft Worth, Valentine's Day, school days, and sewing days. 

First up - baptism birthday. In retrospect I wish I would have started more meaningful traditions to mark my children's baptismal birthdays but I sort of dropped the ball on that one. So Zanna took matters into her own hands and declared that we were going to take her out to Golden Chick for lunch. Because nothing says baptism birthday like eating fried chicken;)

We also attended a chili supper at the local fireman's hall. It was pretty impressive as I had never seen so much chili in one place. They had giant vats of the stuff that people manned and stirred. It was good too! Especially when eaten with Fritos. 

We celebrated Chinese New Year which was a little tricky this year not having a local Chinese grocery store to shop at - or better yet, go out to Mandarin for lunch! But I had a stock pile of ingredients in my pantry and freezer and came up with my own version of authentic (boy, does that sound like the times we live in). 

Then there was the Quilter's Mystery Weekend that Zanna was a part of too. The sewing group at our church worked on quilts for the Comforter Ministry. The design on several of them are "Texas windmills" and they are gorgeous! 

Wayne and I also had a trip to Houston tucked in there somewhere. I don't have any pictures from it but the purpose was to attend the Grow Conference at Abiding Word. It was fun to go together and spiritually uplifting too! Zanna had a great time staying with friends from church. 

Then it was Zanna's birthday. Her thirteenth birthday, to be exact. Actually, it wasn't even her birth day - it was the day before and she had party/cake #1 as a surprise! It was a sewing day at church so I snuck in earlier and had the surprise ready to go for her arrival. The sewing ladies got her the first cake.

There was live music and everything! And to make her REALLY embarrassed, the song Amanda was rewritten to be Hosanna. Your welcome, honey ;)

On her actual birthday, we had to drive to Ft. Worth for her basketball tournament. My parents were in town that week so my mom came along with us on the adventure. 

We got cupcakes to share with her teammates for that evening. She had such a good time hanging out with her friends in the hotel lobby. I admit to hovering over her that first night but then I got tired and realized (after she reminded me, "Mom, I am 13") that the hotel was practically full of Hawks (our team) and was seemingly safe to let her have some freedom. Mom and I unapologetically found ourselves propped up in our individuals hotel beds, drinking wine, and watching cable while my new 13 year old daughter partied it up with her girlfriends in the lobby. And so it begins...

This was serious basketball stuff. Even the name denotes bigness: Big South. Between all the girls' and boys' levels, varsity, junior, varsity, etc - it took two huge sport complexes to hold this event. The complex we were at had 9 courts alone. All participants were homeschoolers. Wow! So much for weird, unsocialized homeschoolers ... these kids are awesome!!! 

Upon our return from Ft. Worth, it was time to properly celebrate as a family and that can only be done with a Dairy Queen cake. 

She requested a basketball themed cake but feminine (hence the purple trim). Oma helped put up some purple streamers and it was party time! 

But wait! One more cake to be eaten! When we picked up Will from Auntie and Uncle's in Ft Worth the next week, cousin Sarah had made this beautiful and yummy cake for us all to enjoy! 

Yes, February was fun. Add to that no snow shoveling or frostbite and it was very enjoyable! I still have to post about our March. That was fun too! (yes, we work, school, and generally live productive lives just with copious amounts of cake apparently). 

A Reason for Lent

Sometimes we forget. We forget birthdays, anniversaries, important dates. We forget names. We forget memories, songs, the voice of a loved one now in heaven.

We forget to turn off the light, to close a drawer, to lock a door. We forget why we went in a room or what we were going to say next. We forget assignments, directions, engagements - we forget to look at our calendar. We forget why it is we’re doing what we’re doing. We forget where we put it. We forget what matters.

We forget to pray. We forget to praise. We forget to worship. We forget to make time for the one that created time. We forget we need Him in order to breathe, to wake up everyday - to simply be.

It seems like we’re in the business of forgetting. It’s something we do well. Our Abba Father says - don’t forget. He knows this about us. He had the Israelites tie tassels on themselves as a reminder of his commandments knowing they’d forget. He commanded they celebrate the Passover celebration so at least they would tell their children once a year of how God protected them from the angel of death in Egypt. He knew in one generation He could be forgotten.  

We forget why we need Him.

  Easter rolls around every spring in it’s predictable way. We’re ready to whip out our spring clothes and white shoes. The easter baskets are filled with candy, the ham is in the oven and an Easter lily graces our table. At church we sing all the familiar Easter hymns and enjoy the sermon filled with good news - Christ has risen! He has risen indeed! Then why does it feel like we’ve forgotten something? Oh, yes .....

He had to die. 

The season of Lent starts with Ash Wednesday. It is 40 days long, not including Sundays. Lent is the time in the church year that allows for reflection, repentance and preparation for Easter. It’s the time to remember: Remember we need Him to forgive us. Remember we need Him to live a perfect life for us. Remember He suffered and died - for OUR sins. Remember that He humbled Himself on this earth - and He didn’t forget us! Remember all that and THEN come celebrate on Easter Sunday and shout from the rooftops Christ has risen! He has risen indeed!

What I'm Reading

Um, what just happened to February? Seriously. Fastest February I've ever had in my life that I can remember. That could be because it's the first February that I haven't been freezing and praying for global warming. 

There's been quite a bit going on around here that I'll get into later. This post is about books. These are a few of my favourite things. I'm actually slightly obsessed with books. When we were packed up on the Ottawa side of our move, our packer (one guy for our three level house, God bless him) said he never wanted to see any of my books again; there were so many. Or dishes ... but that's another post. 

So far my life down here offers a bit more margin, also the name of a book. This has given me more time to read and study. The stack pictured above is already outdated and I've moved on to other books and have many still in the queue. I love them all so much I want to share. 

Month by Month Gardening in Texas - because I'm a gardener now and I need something that tells me what to do. 

Ruth - Living in God's Unfailing Faithfulness - I know there are a lot of Ruth Bible studies out there but I would bet this would be the best, most thorough, deep theologically and relevant look at the book of Ruth. It's amazing for personal study and is set up for group study. I'm blessed to know the author and have studied the first few chapters with her on a group chat. She has done all the work for her readers and uncovered many treasures that we get to glean from her!!! So good.

He Restores My Soul - I have NEVER read a book like this that is not only so open and honest by real people, but coupled with real comfort from God's Word and the richness of hymns that are imprinted on hearts from childhood. Life is messy. We are ALL broken and everyone has a story. These are just some that a handful of women were willing to share. Every chapter brought me such emotion and reaction that I can't even explain it myself. Every chapter brought an awareness of what those around me might be going through. Every chapter brought such amazing perspective in light of eternity. Amazing. 

The Essential C.S. Lewis - So thrilled to have been gifted this one! It's the perfect complement to the free Hillsdale College course I'm taking on Lewis. 

The Art of the Commonplace - a great book to pick up and put down due to the essay format. Makes me think. Hmmmmmm. Not a good one to read when I'm tired. I'm looking forward to reading the author's fiction too. 

Eternal Treasures: Teaching Your Child at Home - I'm gifting this to my homeschool Lutheran mamas. I wish I had had this back in the early days!!! I'm retiring soon but there is so much good in this book, some of which I've done by the shear grace of God. What makes homeschooling so important? Even more ... what makes a homeschool Lutheran?! This book answers these questions and more. 

Handbook for Ministers' Wives - I have always joked that there is no handbook for this pastor's wife gig - until a retired pastor's wife/member slipped this into my hands one Sunday with a wink! Now I have no excuse ;)  This book was written in the 1950's and some content is either not applicable to today's times or our particular denomination. I'm getting a kick out of the chapter about the manners I'm supposed to have as a pastor's wife. Thankfully I don't usually entertain dignitaries or host weddings in my home. This has been a fun read and has offered little nuggets of wisdom that will never be outdated. 

Educated: A Memoir - This was last month's neighborhood book club read. I like to have memoirs in my book queue regularly. I want to expose myself to real people's lives, diverse backgrounds that are different than mine, and hard stories so I can better serve my neighbor. I may not always be able to understand but I desire empathy and openness to meet others where they're at and where they've come from. I want to learn from their lives and I'm so grateful when they're bold enough to write it down and have it published and share it with people like me. This memoir was a little slow going in the beginning but suddenly had it's claim on me at least mid way. About 3/4's into it, it became hard for me to read with just the rawness and reality of this being someone's actual life. But it was worth it and encouraged lots of discussion once we met together to talk about it. 

Magnolia Table - Yes, I read cookbooks too. Sometimes I even cook, haha! I'm making my way through this one and I have several recipes on the back burner to try this month. Since we're in the south I've made biscuits and gravy for breakfast several times for houseguests. I made Bobo's classic gravy but I'm too lazy to make homemade biscuits. Plus a neighbor down the street had a biscuit making party with her friends to see if they could make biscuits like grandma and in the end she said the frozen Mary B's that I can get at Walmart is just as good and a lot less work. I also made The Best-Ever Fluffy Pancakes for Z's birthday and my dad actually said they were the best pancakes he's ever had even without knowing the name. They weren't as fluffy as I was going for but that was due to still getting to know my stovetop and the griddle. I made a batch of Last-Minute Party Dip over Christmas time. It has cream cheese in it so I knew it would be a winner! And it was.  My mom made Chicken Piccata with artichoke hearts for us a few days ago. It was REALLY good. Company good. Impress your friends good. For March when Will comes home I have plans to make: Chicken Pot Pie, Gaines Family Chili, Sunday Supper Beef Tips, Beckie's Mac and Cheese, and Curry Chicken Salad. 

I'm still working on Walther's Law and Gospel using a very useful study guide I found here. I have to finally finish The Hammer of God already. I have the ebook and it just isn't working. I mean it technically works but I need an actual book to hold in my hands. So really I should just start over with the actual book I've borrowed from my mother. And our book club pick for March is Castle of Water. 

Now I should probably wrap this up and start cracking open one of my cookbooks to figure out what I'm making for supper tonight. A girl can't lay around reading all the time!