Three more days until Christmas, and I kinda hate to get my hopes up but there’s been a snowflake icon on December 25 on my weather app for about a week now. A white Christmas would be so perfect, especially since my dad will be here from Texas. (Although he got about three inches at… Read More Friday Favorites: Christmas Traditions
I’ve been trying to be mindful of the waiting process this last week. That’s what we’re sort of re-enacting during Advent – the waiting for the One who is coming. Beth Moore wrote this on Sunday: Ears ached with emptiness, yearning to hear sounds of heaven. Some word from God. Nothing. 1 century then 2,… Read More Waiting and Hoping and Coming (and Grandmas)
Social Media is such an interesting thing. I have a love/hate relationship with it, and I suspect you probably do too. I love connecting with people there and sharing all of life’s highlights, and I hate the negative way it is used by some. I love the ability to stay up to date on the… Read More A Funny Story and An Identity Crisis
Her words struck me intensely this time, though I’ve read them many times before. “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) What a response. What beautiful surrender. What a quiet humility. What fierce faith. And displayed in the midst of a situation seemingly impossible, certainly… Read More What Mary Said (And a Special Request)
It felt like I couldn’t really begin to participate in Advent season yet, because I had this final exam hanging over my head: Old Testament II.It was only one class, but because of the pace of the last six weeks, I got about 10 lectures (I can view them on my own schedule), and several… Read More Advent Hope!
It was such a nice Thanksgiving here. And it’s become such a familiar routine to get ready to host a houseful. Always a few special touches to the day as well. I mean, just take a look at those place cards Kayla made – with a little help from our friend Hadassah. Very special. (The… Read More Giving Thanks, Getting Away, Going Forward
Today is one of my favorite days of the year. The house is in perfect order after all dishes have been washed and returned to their spots from the day before. There is leftover food, so I don’t have to cook. We’ll cut down a Christmas tree at our favorite local farm this morning, and… Read More Five Favorites on Friday: Christmas Books
Sweet. Not the eight pies I just made for tomorrow’s festivities, but God. That’s how I’ve been describing Him lately anyway. I love words, and so I’m always Googling definitions, synonyms, and even etymologies. When I searched “sweet” this is what I found… pleasant, delightful, nice, good…kind, gentle, sensitive Yes, all of those things. God… Read More Life Is Scary, But He Is Sweet
Kayla created this really great gluten free pumpkin bread recipe a few years back. We can’t quite remember how she did it, but possibly from a combination of other recipes we’d seen and used before. It’s a good one, and I pulled it out on Sunday to make a dessert for a church youth lunch… Read More Pumpkin Bread & Preparations
“We’re expecting a cold front here tomorrow,” is what my dad told me over the phone and from the heart of Texas on Friday night. On Saturday morning, I heard it again from another Texas friend. It was Kelly’s (a.k.a. Miss Riggs) birthday, and when I texted her to wish her a happy day, she… Read More Cold Fronts and Cool Retreats