This is so weird . . .

Its 8 am, and I am not standing in my closet, wondering what in the world I am going to wear to work today. I am not trying to flurry through this post so that I can get out the door.

I am sitting here, breathing and relaxing - I don't have to go into work until noon.

I am feeling comforted and blessed in the provisions that God has made for us. Two great big prayers have been answered and I can't stop thanking Him. . .

#1 - my husband is home - he has been home for the past 3 weeks. No, he didn't lose his job ;)
He is still a project manager, but he is sort of 'in-between' projects right now, so he is working out of the main office, 25 minutes away. So, if you see a handsome 6 ft blond-haired guy hanging around, don't worry, that's my husband ;)

And #2 actually came to fruition this past week. Over a year ago this week, I began working more like 'full time' hours at my job. This was not really something I wanted to do, but it was something that I was called to do, and the Lord never asks too much of us. I admit that its been a challenging year, juggling work, BSF, trips back and forth, etc. - and I have had my share of complaining, fists up to God and all. But God has really blessed this path with His faithfulness. Sometimes, you just have to wait on Him. We were able to hire another administrative & marketing person who is able to fill in for me on this new part-time 1/2 day schedule my boss has given me. The timing is so perfect - I so appreciate having mornings at home to get the day going, and the company also is trying to make some cut-backs, so it feels good to be a part of those efforts.

So, here I am - and its so good to be here.

Refreshed

This past weekend, I was privileged to go to a wonderful BSF Retreat in Dallas. Early Friday morning, about 16 women in our class boarded a spacious bus and we took a 5 hour drive north to our destination, the Adams Mark Hotel (WOW, what a treat!)

Though the trip was a bit rainy and muggy, we arrived excited, and amazed at all the people there. . . 3,000 of us BSF leaders for the conference! Jane (my co-leader) and I shared a room which faced the city and all those glorious skyscrapers, with the DART below.

Jean Nystrand, the executive director of BSF, taught through the book of Isaiah - very enriching and insightful! In between lectures, we enjoyed delicious meals, coffee breaks (sigh, I DID HAVE TO HAVE CAFFIENE, MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!), and lots of fellowshipping with other Christians - praise the Lord for three 'thousand tongues to sing, Thy great Redeemer's praise. . . '!!!

Perhaps many of you may not know, but my involvement with BSF came at a time when I was feeling a need for connection to other women. I really yearned to be deeper in the Word. Haven and I had just moved to San Antonio at the time, and I was eager to join after my mom had encouraged me to go to BSF. I actually started going in the middle of the Genesis study, and it has blessed me ever since. Last year, at the beginning of the Romans study, I was asked to be a part of the leadership - what an honor. This is my first year of being a Children's Leader, something that seemed so overwhelming at first, but I am amazed at God's equipping! I feel so blessed that I can share the opportunity to teach 11 jr. high students with my co-leader!

The most precious thing to me about being in BSF is that I am the third generation in my family to be involved in BSF. A. Wetherell Johnson, the originator of BSF, began to lead a tiny class of women in Oakland, Ca., more than 50 years ago . . . my grandmother came to be a part of that class! At the retreat, they had prepared a special slide presentation of the history of BSF - I think I saw my grandmother in one of the photos they flashed!

My mother was a part of BSF for a while when she was younger - I think that my brother, sister and I were in the children's program at some point. . .

The Headquarters are actually located here, in San Antonio - on a gorgeous piece of land on the northside. . .

From the retreat - I just feel so refreshed and have a new perspective. Sometimes, I get so discouraged about the seemingly impactless efforts we make - but God really is at work through His people, and it is such a blessing to be able to serve Him through this outlet.

St. Patrick's Breastplate

I bind unto myself today . . .

The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this today to me forever
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spiced tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of cherubim;
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the star lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Bon Matin

Each new morning, we wake up to the sound of doves cooing. They roost in the oak tree outside our bedroom window. (That same tree shades Haven's truck and so he is not too happy that they roost there.) They make such a peaceful sounding call, it never seems to irritate me.

Its funny how plain the 'symbol of peace' is. Doves are incredibly humble - have you ever watched their interactions with other birds at a feeder? Little finches and mean jays shove their way to get to the seed. They toss the bird feeder about and scatter seeds everywhere. In the midst of this chaos, the doves sort of sit back and wait for everyone to finish. They end up picking up the seeds scattered all over after everyone leaves.


Our jasmine plants, which are vining around our front pillars have finally been slowly blooming this week. This has been a long time coming - for 4 months or so, we have watched how leafy and bushy each plant has grown, and we have eagerly anticipated the blooms. H got a little worried a couple of times that they weren't blooming yet. They just needed time. Then they started to bud - this budding lay still for about a week, and we keep waiting and watching for a bloom to pop - and then, spring came to our front door.

What is it about the shape and smell of jasmine flowers - how they enthrall us to the point that we have to stop and consume them with our noses. Their elegance, their simple beauty and class - right up there with the rose.

And they wait to inspire me, right outside my front door -

Rock Water

As I was perusing some liturgy readings this morning, one struck me as so appropriately perfect for my struggling attitude toward life right now. Exodus 17:1-7 - I am one to often compare myself to a rebellious Israelite, not compliant and willing to follow the leader who was chosen by God to guide them out of wilderness and into the Promiseland.
What a daunting task, to lead a grumbling nation who doubted you . . . Moses was doing what God had called him to do. He had no special wisdom, no super power in and of himself to even know where the next step would take them.

He didn't feel equipped to do it, but God was equipping him as he went. The people cursed him and balked his leadership. And yet, he trusted. He trusted the God of his fathers, and he believed that God would get them there.

I may not be a grumbling nation, but I can be a grumbling wife to my own Moses. When I complain and test my husband, I make his road harder. His is a road full of great responsibility and roadblocks that he has to overcome, and the desire of my life is to encourage him and strengthen him through this journey by serving him. But I am a poor example of this. I only fall on my knees once again and ask for his forgiveness and God's forgiveness.

And then I remember how faithful God is, to a grumbling nation -

All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin
by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but
there was no water for the people to drink. 2Therefore the people quarreled with
Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you
quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?" 3But the people thirsted there for
water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up
out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?" 4So
Moses cried to the LORD, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost
ready to stone me."

5And the LORD said to Moses, "Pass on before the people,
taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff
with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there
on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of
it, and the people will drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of
Israel. 7And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the
quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying,
"Is the LORD among us or not?"

**He, the faithful God who gave the Israelites water from the rock, is our Rock who sent his Son to be struck so that His saving blood would flow over us, cleansing and purifying our sinfulness and lack of faith.**

Key Keeper

This reading warmed my soul this morning - I hope it warms yours as well :)

Is there some problem in your life to solve,
Some passage seeming full of mystery?
God knows, who brings the hidden things to light.
He keeps the key.

Is there some door closed by the Father's hand
Which widely opened you had hoped to see?
Trust God and wait - for when He shuts the door
He keeps the key.

Is there some earnest prayer unanswered yet,
Or answered NOT as you had thought 'twould be?
God will make clear His purpose by and by.
He keeps the key.

Have patience with God, your patient God,
All wise, all knowing, no long lingerer He,
And of the door of all your future life
He keeps the key.

Unfailing comfort, sweet and blessed rest,
To know of EVERY door He keeps the key.
That He at last when just He sees is best
Will give it to THEE.

~ Anonymous ~

Sustenance

From this morning's readings:

Psalm 3:5
I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.

Psalm 4:7
You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound.

Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

Putt . . . Putt

Putt. . .

I am puttering 'round the house today. A headach-ey lethargy sent me home early, and I am actually quite content to be home-bodied right now. All the little projects I have been wanting to finish (and the new ones to start) are now at my fingertips.

Oh yes, so is the urge to take a nice long nap like my little pupster here. . .

Sigh.

As you can see, I've been puttering around the ol' bloggeroo too - I have discovered some really neat sites for photo cropping :)

~

Remember this post?

Well, today's picture for my desk calendar is a beautiful Aurora Borealis and my hubby's love note to me:

"I can't think of anyone I'd rather be married to"

Now, its sweet and simple, but the timing of this couldn't have been more perfect. I have been feeling really discouraged lately about feeling like I am inadequate in some areas and yet, the way the Lord encourages me through my loving husband brings tears of thankfulness to my eyes. It makes me go, 'Really?' It makes me feel so lucky, so blessed, so encouraged, and so loved.

I am not perfect. Nor will I ever be. But I am saved by the grace of a gracious and kind God who delights in giving His children excellent gifts.

Together, we are going somewhere, farther than I can go alone . . .

I rely on a lot of things to get me through the day. Things like my coffee-maker, my alarm clock, hot water, my hair dryer, a car that drives, the dishwasher, the washing machine and dryer, and the many other little comforts of everyday life.

Its the little things like these that trip me up sometimes because I rely on them. . . when they don't act in the way I want, life can get pretty frustrating. Its funny how I can use their inefficiencies as an excuse for my own shortcomings. None of these inventions are evil or bad, but using them as crutches can be harmful.

The tragedy is the way I have become lazy in the little things. Like, for instance, staying up too late, and then waking up too late, making it a mad dash for drying wet hair, filling an empty gas tank and not allowing enough time for morning traffic. Its a dreadful domino effect.

Being faithful in the little things is the most important. It cultivates that character I so desire, that productive, disciplined, godly character so treasure-able, so prized.

And this leads to something embarrassing, but pointed for the purpose of conviction.

When H is gone, I struggle with the simple things of life. . . like, getting up, going to sleep on time, and being a disciplined woman in all the other areas that require the constant daily upkeep. Having a husband is a huge and helpful blessing. He makes me get up. When he is home, I can't wait to make breakfast. When he is gone, I am lucky if I even get breakfast because I always seem to be running a hair behind.

But why do I see any excuse to be unproductive when he is gone? I need to be this way all the time, regardless of whether he is home or not. And never let me go without saying, my husband is one of the greatest blessings in my life - but the thing is, I cannot rely on him to carry the load I must myself, pick up, strap to my back and move forward. He has his own to bear. And he daily testifies of how he loves me with his desire for my personal faithfulness.

This load-carrying, burden-bearing business ain't easy - oh yeah, this was never supposed to be easy!

Its hard to wake up when the sun isn't even out. Its harder as I have gotten older. Its hard when you know you have to go to work again. Its hard because, frankly, I love my sleep (who doesn't?).

This is quickly developing into another goal for me. To get a better night's sleep, for the sake of tomorrow. I want to feel refreshed and rejuvenated, not exhausted and dragging. And I want to wake up early, and claim that 'joy in the morning'.

Life is so precious. . . don't waste a second of it. Redeem the time.

*Its late, I am going to go to bed now ;)

Merry Christmas :)

Cohoon Fam mantle - complete with some Nutcracker-action ;)

Christmas brunch at my family's - with a spread never short of deliciousness. . .

Kudos to Em for her magic hands!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, we turned off all the lights and lit all the candles around the living room - our advent candles, our mantle candles, and turned on the Christmas lights. Then, we snuggled on the couch and listened to The Festival of Carols cd that is a family tradition for Haven.

How dear this tradition has become to me. . .

This year especially, listening to it, the Lord gave me such peace and contentment as we look back on the year reflectively, and look forward to the year ahead with excitement.

Amen, God is so good to His children!

Score!

Well, now I really have NO excuse NOT to cook ;) Haven really surprised me with this KitchenAid set of pots & pans -

Thank you Honey!!!

Oh, and I just cannot fail to mention this other gift he gave me. . . at first look, its an ordinary desk calendar, but my DH wrote me something sweet on EACH day! What a guy ;)

Fourth Sunday of Advent

A simple breakfast -
juice and cinnamon rolls -
&
a sweet Sabbath preparing for the celebration of the birth of of Savior :)

Happy Birthday, Nephew Mine :)

Let's celebrate!!!

Andrew David is 1 today!!!
Happy Birthday Big Boy!!!

Mend

Mom had successful jaw surgery yesterday - her doctors were very pleased with how everything went. She was on the higher end of loss of blood, but a transfusion was not necessary, thank goodness.

She is probably going to be released this very afternoon. We all cannot wait to love her and get her better!

Thank you for your love and prayers!

In Dulci Jubilo

In sweet rejoicing,
now sing and be glad!
All our joy
lies in the manger;
It shines like the sun
in the mother's lap.
You are the alpha and omega!

As I was helping mom with writing these touching lyrics on a poster board I couldn't help but get teary at 'All our joy lies in the manger".
What a beautiful thought, our Saviour, and our King - not just a baby, OUR JOY!!! All of our Joy is in Him! HE IS OUR JOY!!!

This past Sunday, we both woke to the sun rising in our east side window - as it was peeking through the blinds, it caught H's sleepy eyelids and he rolled over back to the fleeting night. I rose, enlivened by the morning and made some oh-so-original Betty Crocker blueberry muffins, turkey bacon, and scrambled eggs. The last time I made any of these items is too long ago to remember. All of them together - don't even ask . . . maybe in the early days of our marriage. The simplicity of the morning made it easier for us to reflect on our Scripture readings and each other. After all, Sabbath meals should NOT be stressful.

Beautiful rest and renewal got us off to a new week, and we are all going to need it this week. Especially my precious mom, who is having jaw surgery this Wednesday to help cure her sleep apnea. Please keep her in your prayers - it will be a long road to complete recovery.

Thank you! May He be your Joy this week!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Its been quite some time since I last had a 'birthday post'. It's high time, don'tcha think!? ;)

Today is my dear Mother's birthday - I will not disclose her age ;)

She is a wonderful woman, a daughter of the King, a beloved Wife, Mother to 7, Grandmother to 2, a Teacher, a Mentor, and a Friend and so many other things.

Mom, you are SOOO LOVED!!!!

Happy Birthday to you, I am so glad that you are my Mother!

I can't wait to celebrate you later! :)

2nd Sunday of Advent

How refreshing this Sunday was for us - an easy morning, waking up renewed, and me not worrying about putting breakfast on the table. This recipe was so simple and delicious!




We lit candle #2 and enjoyed Scripture readings and enjoying eachother's company over coffee and a little toaste francaise ;)

The whole day was a realization of God's love and the rich depth of His blessings through the fellowship of friends and family - What a gracious Giver!

Christmas Blessings

What sweet surprises have come our way, making our Christmas so merry this year -

Thank you Grammy - the bells are lovely! Seeing you was the best gift of all!

Thank you Dad and Laurel - we love our Spode dishes!

First Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 9:6

6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

After decorating and getting our tree up last night, I felt a little more 'christmasy' (more pictures to come). I guess it really doesn't take all that much. I do love this time of year. But most of all, I love the rich depth we find in remembering Jesus Christ's birth, and all the exciting prophecies of old leading up to it.

This morning, we reflected over these things with some passages of Scripture H had pulled out. It touched me even more deeply this time upon reading because we are going through Matthew in BSF this year. All the new things I am learning through the training I am receiving and through teaching these kids is extremely precious.

I had risen early and made Mandelkrans (*see previous post) and we lit our first candle in our red candle wreath that I uncovered in our unpacking ;) (A little red spray paint made it look more festive.)

Oh yes, a little about the Mandelkrans -

I felt like I was wrestling the dough for 15 minutes of tiring kneading and pulling, stretching and rolling. The dough was just not how I expected it would be. But it finally became malleable enough for me to drape over a bundt pan and fill with a crushed almond and craisin mixture. It tasted delicious. It was a lot of work though ;)

I think next Sunday I am going to try this recipe I saw on Rachel Ray last week :) Looks a little easier - and I love french toast!

French Toast Cups with Fresh Fruit and Cream

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• Dash of vanilla extract, optional
• Dash of fresh nutmeg, optional
• 8 slices white or wheat sandwich bread
• 1 pint fresh berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries
• Whipped cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Spray the inside of each cup of a 6-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg. Cut a slit in the corner of each slice of bread from the middle of the slice to the edge.

Dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture then lightly press it into a cup of the muffin tin, overlapping the pieces where you cut the slit to make it fit into the cup without tearing.

Bake the French toast cups for 12-14 minutes, until they're light golden brown.

Allow the cups to cool slightly in the muffin tin before removing them. To serve, arrange the cups on a platter and fill each one with fresh fruit and top with whipped cream.

Hope you had a blessed Sabbath!