He is Here

Tears of pain and frustration leak from the corners of my eyes as I wrestle with the tough questions:

Why all of this pain in the world?


How can innocent children so sweet and pure be hurt, innocence forever lost?


How can loving families be torn apart by horrible things...by disease, disaster and death?


Why do people who love each other fail to understand and speak hurtful words?


Why so much pain?

Over the course of one day my loved ones have been personally effected by all of these things, and my heart feels heavy. In midst of all my pain and pondering, I step outside to get the mail. I open the door, questions still spinning in my head and I see this:



Amidst all that is brown and dead, buried beneath a blanket of old stale snow, is life. Growth. Renewal. Hope. And immediately I know that He is here. Here in this pain, in these moments of sorrow and loss. Here in the frustration and disappointment. Here when the hard questions are left without answers.

Here, always.

The Lord is here--The One who endured suffering, pain and death on a cross. The One who makes joy, laughter, sunshine and grants eternal life. The One whose plan is far greater than we can ever comprehend, whose sovereignty is perfect, whose ways are everlasting. And we can rest in this...here.

"Come to me, all ye who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest."
--Matt. 11:28

One Thousand Gifts (part 4)

Inspired by Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts, I've been making my own list of everyday gifts. God gifts. Starting at one and continuing to 1,000 here is my journey of gratitude:

17. Daughter's tender tentative toddler steps. Bearing witness to this miracle of growth and emergent confidence.


18.Rush of creative energy-joy of composing something from nothing. Fingertips stained red, nails caked from making.


19. Son's child drawing of birds in nest, so perfectly sweet and pure. Carefree innocence preserved on paper.




20. 3 year old pointing out purple-hued clouds at sunset, pulling me out of my hum-drum routine to delight in the beauty of nature together.


21. Ruby tinted fragrant fruit sauce boiling and bubbling on stove top



22. Spontaneous trip with kids to ice cream shop. Thrill of frozen treat on frozen day, contagious excitement.


23. Satisfying feeling of warm yielding yeasty dough between my fingers


24. Waking up to this gorgeous and curious sight...crucifix of the sky, lasting only moments

...more to come

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St. Patrick Printable Window Craft

I've always enjoyed decorating for Saint Patrick's Day. Sure it's in part because I'm Irish, but also I've always just loved the vibrant splashes of green in the midst of this otherwise dead and squishy brown season of March melt. And besides, it's a lovely reason to celebrate in the middle of Lenten somberness.

As I was putting out my feelers for St. Patty ideas to do with the kids I was struck by how few crafts I came across pertaining to Saint Patrick himself! Rather, my efforts turned up a multitude of leaping leprechauns, rainbows and shamrocks (Which, arguably could pertain to Saint Patrick since he used them to teach the concept of the Trinity...but still.) The lack of St Patrick ideas got my creative juices flowing (which is sometimes a dangerous thing ha!) and into my head popped the childhood memory of gazing admiringly at the gorgeous stained-glass windows of my church-St. Patrick in particular. I thought it would be fun to create a stained-glass looking image of Saint Patrick at home. So, I got to work with my paper and pen and here is the result:

Click the link below to print from Google Docs:

Saint Patrick Drawing

  saint patrick drawing

To achieve the stained-glass look, simply print the above image onto a sheet of vellum. Then, color with the medium of your choice (Note: To get a more vibrant color you can color BOTH SIDES of the vellum). We used plain ol' markers and crayons for ours. This is a fun craft for all ages and it looks beautiful in a sunny window! Here's how ours turned out:

my "window"

Luke's window

Adam's window...creative color palette, don't you think? ;)

Just wanted to share our stained glass windows with you. If you decide to make your own, I'd LOVE to see your masterpieces or hear how they came out! Please post a comment or link below! Happy crafting! :)

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig!

When I look in the mirror I See...

Since I enjoyed participating in Five Minute Friday at The Gypsy Mama so much last week, I thought I'd give it another go this week. The prompt for today is "When I look in the Mirror I See...". Hmmm, this one should be interesting. Feel free to join in the fun!

Ok, here goes...


Start:
When I look in the mirror I see a wife, a mother, a child of God, a unique person with talents and treasure--the only one in the world just like me. And with each passing day I see a clearer vision of myself. I try to see me as God sees me. As the signs of aging increase, so also does my wisdom, my experience, my insight. I've earned each line and grey hair. I see a body that has swollen and shrunken--bringing life times three into the world. I see a body marked with the evidence of that miracle. I've paid the price of self-knowledge with laughter and tears, with moments of joy and with seasons of sorrow. I look in the mirror and see strength despite insecurities. I see a survivor. Someone who's walked through a tunnel of pain and come out on the other side whole and complete...better, kinder. More compassionate. I see someone who wakes each morning to a perfect day, new and full of possibility. Someone who looks at each rising of the sun as an opportunity to grow closer to God, eager to learn the life lessons that come my way.

Stop.


Wow, 5 minutes go by awfully fast. I feel like I definitely could've kept going! That was really fun.

Happy Friday!


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Best Seat in the House

You know the old saying, "If you want the best seat in the house you have to move the cat."

Well, in our house it would go something more like, "If you want the best seat in the house you have to move the...TOYS!"

In our house the toys are always scattered about, pretty much everywhere. This is largely due to the fact that my son Adam is somewhat of a toy hoarder! Wherever he goes, whatever he's doing he is always holding something. (And it's usually more like five to ten somethings!) And, being like most three-year-olds, he often gets distracted easily and inevitably what follows is the TOY PLOP. Whenever and wherever curiosity strikes, plop go the toys. Apparently our living room must be a place of great curiosity because often the proverbial "plop" ends up being on the best seat in the house--our couch.

So, whenever I'm looking forward to taking a load off or maybe folding a basket of laundry (That would be taking a load apart. Heh heh. Sorry. ) there's always a surprise--or twenty-- on the couch awaiting. A mommy gift.



It's always interesting to examine the array. There's usually evidence of some sort of battle that's taken place. Alien takeover. Robot invasion, perhaps.

So for me, part of the usual routine of sitting down on the couch involves fetching Adam to round up his battleground. Unless, too tried and weary to bother, I settle into another quiet corner for the moment. Toys: 1, Mom: 0.




Go ahead, take a load off Superman. I know, saving the world is hard. X-Ray vision, bulky muscles, swooning damsels-it's a rough gig. (Heck, there's even a song or two about it.) Enjoy this bit of peace and quiet while it lasts, because before long the childhood demands of saving the world once more will beckon. Evil villains to fend off, Kryptonite lurking...boo boos to mend, salty toddler tears to soothe. You and I together, saving the world on a daily basis. Duty calls all too often. So for now...just rest.

An Idea for Your Family This Lent

Inspired by the gorgeous circular Lenten wreath I saw at A Holy Experience, I decided to try my hand at making my own version at home. I love having a visual symbol for the family to gather around for our evening devotions as we did during Advent. I wanted to incorporate some Lenten symbols into the craft as well. I made sure to work in the color purple (the liturgical color of the season) and also burlap--representing the sack cloths people wore while fasting during biblical times.

I thought I'd share how I made it, in case you might want to make your own.


You Will Need:

*3-4 packages of black Fimo modeling clay (or similar sculpting clay)
*Cardboard (approx. 2' x 3' square)
*40 small polished river stones
* 1/2 yard of burlap (I like to have extra on hand in case of mistakes!)
*glue gun w/glue sticks
*stick lighter
*purple votive candle
*scissors

I started by cutting cardboard into a spiral pattern. (Size is up completely up to you. Mine measures approx 24 in. diameter)

The boys helped me condition the Fimo. (I love the look of fierce determination on Adam's face!)

(A much gentler approach from Luke!)

Once the Fimo was soft enough to work with, I sculpted 40 little bowls (think pinch pots from grade school!). I like the free-form irregular look, so I made each of mine a slightly different size and shape.

I baked them according to the directions on the package.

Once they were baked and cooled I arranged them on my spiral to make sure everything would fit nicely.

Using the cardboard as a guide I cut the burlap into a spiral pattern leaving a tiny bit of overhang on all sides to take into account the fabric that will be lost by burning.

I selected 40 stones that would fit nicely into the cups.

Using my glue gun I then glued the burlap securely to the cardboard working in 6 inch sections from the outside toward the center.

Once the spiral was glued and dry I Very carefully burned the edges of the burlap working by 2 inch sections and blowing out each section before moving onto the next.

Once the edges were singed I glued the 40 clay pots to the burlap with a glue gun.

Gathering sticks from the yard, I fashioned a cross out of them. I used purple embroidery thread (love using purple however I can!) to secure it. I then molded black no-bake clay around the base of the cross and secured it into the center (40th pot) of the spiral.

Once the project was completed I placed everything into a black tray for use. I chose a purple candle to further highlight the color for the season and placed the stones we'll be using into a glass container wrapped with twine.

Our family will be using the book A Family Journey With Jesus Through Lent for our evening devotions.

If you decide to give it a try I hope it turns out well for you! If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment and I'll be happy to answer!


I wish you all a wonderful 40 day walk with Jesus this Lent.


Linked at: Works for Me Wednesday

10 Reasons I'm Looking Forward to Spring

1. Spring bulbs. I love everything about 'em...the bright colors, the heady perfume, their thick meaty stems and leaves.... Ah, to me they're just the quintessential symbol that Spring has finally arrived!

photo credit

2. Flip flops. Ok, I know some people wait until Summer but I am a die hard flip-flopper (who also makes up her own words). Once it hits 50+ degrees it's time to don 'em. You say tom-ay-to, I say tom-ah-to.


3. Sending the kids out to play NOT requiring fifteen layers of snow gear, complicated boots, gloves, hats, scarves and other various and sundry cold weather-moisture-wicking-whatevers.


4. Access to the outdoor grill--no shovel required.

After one of the many snowpocalypses that struck this past January

5. The return of sweet little chirpy happy birdies. Somehow hearing their high-pitched melodious songs makes being up early in the morning just a little bit better. (But not as much as coffee.)

6. It NOT feeling like bedtime at oh, 4:30pm.

7. Trading brown icky melty snow for...er, brown icky mucky mud and basement flooding. Ok, maybe that's not a big improvement after all! But hey, it still shouts SPRING! :)

8. Going for a walk outside without the looming fear that a snow plow is just around the corner waiting to take me out.

9. Fresh garden chives! 'nuff said.

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10. Skipping through the days with an extra spring in my step, sunshine on my face and gratitude in my heart that I survived yet another brutal Winter in New England! :)


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