glory, books, mamas and grace

Lots going on.

Anxiously waiting to hear the total raised in Lindsy's auction, "(hand)made for Glory" in a couple of days.  And if you haven't checked it out or bid on anything, you really must.

Furiously sorting books and trying to be a good librarian like my husband and sister (yep, it runs in the family).  Literally spent all day organizing the hundreds of books generous friends and family donated for our book sale tomorrow.

**Take a minute to learn about "Ethiopia Reads."  Really amazing organization.  They build libraries and schools and send donkey mobile libraries into the most rural parts of Ethiopia.  Our little kids from church, the "Creek Risers" are honored to support this group in our book sale.  You really need to read about them :-)

Finding myself joining yet another group to raise money for Ethiopian orphans.  It involves sewing and Ethiopian coffee....right up my alley.  I'll definitely share more later as things get in full swing before the holidays.

Thinking about my dear grandmothers and sweetest mother of them all!  I am so so blessed and can only hope to be a tiny glimmer of the women they all are/were.

Thinking about mamas 7900 miles away.  One in particular, wherever she may be.  I doubt she knows about Mother's Day, but I do.  I honor her and respect her and seek to bring grace, mercy and meaning to her most painful decisions.

Thankful for friends who will cry with me, share God's grace with me, share struggles with me, love and forgive with me.  I am blessed.

Time for rest.  Friends will be here early with arms ready to help, pancakes & bacon to chow down and company galore.  It will be a beautiful day and my hope is that it brings God glory, as we seek to serve and bring the joy of learning and books to children 7900 miles away.

Hope for Glory

hope for glory

Tomorrow, a friend of mine Lindsy Wallace and her family will be hosting an auction to help bring home their daughter Glory.  Now the neat thing is, Lindsy asked if I would come up with something to make for her auction "(hand)made for Glory" and I just happened to have a huge pile of wool fabric in my attic waiting to be sewn into something beautiful.

fun tidbit:  these are the names of Hope and her three sisters

amazing backstory:  A little over 2 months ago, about 2 weeks before taking her trip to heaven, Hope Shull came by with a HUGE bag of wool sweater scraps.  She was in the process of cleaning out, knowing she didn't need her "stuff" anymore and wanting to share with me, a fellow crafter.  And yes, dear little Hope parked her car, carried her HUGE bag right up my steps and plopped it down on my front porch, all the while explaining her mission.  She was getting weak and slowing down a little but we all know that by "Hope" standards, she was still more filled with energy than most of us ever dream to be.  I let the bag sit, overwhelmed by her generosity but filled with sadness and the blessed burden of knowing I had to create something beautiful, something worthwhile, something Hope would be proud of, something that would bring God glory.

Enter Lindsy, whose family's story you will just have to read on her blog...I could never do it justice.  Soon after "the bag" arrived Lindsy contacted me about creating something to put in their auction, something special to help bring Glory home.

Hope for Glory was born.  Hope will only meet this dear family and precious baby girl when they too arrive in heaven.  But she is helping, with that irrepressible Hope spirit, she is doing her part.

The auction starts tomorrow and you'd better believe that I will be reminding you all about it!  Read the details here:  "(hand)made for Glory"

Let's join together in supporting this family and bringing Glory home

 as we all wait and "Hope for Glory."

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

Hebrews 6:19

lately....

• we've been adjusting to Wade's new position, the time and attention it takes; SO proud of him but missing him a bit
• I've been roasting "green" coffee beans to see how my very own roast will taste
• we had our rattly old window panes glazed so that they no longer fall out and break
• our big girls have been spending more and more time with friends
• Esther, Oliver & Owen mostly live outside
• we've been thinking in our church family about how to share our gifts
• I've realized I never like sharing (verbally or otherwise) as much as I should because of fear
• we've been reading "Risk is Right" by John Piper
• I've made some (admittedly) yummy homemade yogurt - finally realized that I had to whip it to get the lumps out, only took me many years to realize that :-)
• I'm trying to eat in a way to regulate my blood sugar so it doesn't dive and crash every afternoon; it's helping
• I've been trying to stay away from most grains and all sugars (see above)
• I've been making some things for "Hope for Glory"; very excited, unveiling them soon!
• I've spent lots of time with my 3 favorite grown young ladies in the entire world; so blessed to have them in my life
• we registered Ellis for her first official classroom time:  in the fall she will be attending a part-time private school to start off high school with a bang
• I'm preparing for homeschool in the fall
• I've been watching our garden bed fill with weeds
• I've been watching cilantro spontaneously erupt in our herb garden (yippee!!!)
• we've been trying to decide which oversize van/bus is the right one for our family; and mostly which one will make me look the coolest!
• went to one of the best cook-outs ever last night: family, friends, the kingdom of heaven here on earth; we are so blessed to have Christ's body in the flesh
• I've been wishing friends didn't have to leave us and really can't wait for heaven
• I've been listening to remakes of "Rock of Ages" and "Lord, I Need You" often enough to make my family crazy

Happy spring everyone!  

Rock of Ages, my great hope secure

Your promise holds just like an anchor to my soul

Bind your children with cords of love and grace
Rock of Ages, we give You praise

he's back!!!!

After a nice long (over 2 years) hiatus my better half is back, blogging away.  Oh he's been here all along, just busy being a daddy, husband, librarian, table builder, disc golfer extraordinaire.... you get the picture.

But he's back now, better than ever - sharing thoughts near and dear to his heart as 

inspiration strikes on walks to and from work.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

how beautiful

The girl and the gorgeous widow.  Serving one another hardly knowing it at all.

Back when dear Gary was sick….”What can we do for her?  What would bring comfort?”

Brownies!  Oh yes, your delicious brownies.

They were delivered and devoured week after week after week after week.

Bringing a mission to the baker, comfort to the eater.

Now Gary is gone from this earth.  In his place in heaven.  A huge gaping raw hole in her heart.

A pre-teen navigating the treacherous waters of life, paddling slowly, struggling at times to breathe.

But still there are brownies.

Brownies requested from a heart filled with grief, filled with love for a girl who needs to be needed.

Brownies baked by a girl trying to find her way through life by way of the kitchen and fill her friend’s belly and heart with chocolate!

Brownies delivered and received with glee, passed from one set of hurting hands to another, smiles and hugs abounding.

Service to one another.  Grace is here.  This is the body of Christ.

How beautiful the radiant bride

Who waits for her groom with His light in her eyes

How beautiful when humble hearts give

The fruit of pure love so that others may live

How beautiful, how beautiful

How beautiful is the body of Christ

How beautiful the feet that bring

The sound of good news and the love of the King

How beautiful the hands that serve

The wine and the bread and the sons of the earth

How beautiful, how beautiful

How beautiful is the body of Christ

a merry little Christmas

Well, it has certainly been way too long.  A lot has happened since back in the early days of December.  Namely loads of holiday celebration, a few weeks of sickness thrown in, more holiday fun and even a BIG (20 years!!!) anniversary to celebrate.  I'll let the photos do most of the talking.

lots of cookie baking & decorating

gingerbread houses made

dear big sisters who will read when everyone else is sick

gorgeous handmade metal star styled by our artist friend 

just in time for our 20th year celebration

panda hat finished in just the nick of time

sack for my dear disc golfer

a little flu wouldn't stop a girl from sewing long into the night :-)

 and the best:  fancy pink high heels for our new little chef (look closely)

Texas Longhorns hat finished just a tad late 

but beloved just the same by my very own Texas Ex

snow, gorgeous snow plus an exciting thunder/lightning snowstorm

on Christmas night

a few rare days away in Eureka Springs

cute cottage and all

sweet friends who will cut hair

so little guys can look a bit more like a beloved aunt

"Oh Sheila, I love looking like you!  Our hair matches!!!"

and she said, "Not sure you'll always feel that way - but thank you!"

 dear Grandma (and Grandpa) with plenty of lap room for grandkids and kitties!

We celebrated with friends and family and rejoiced in our knowledge that yes, "The Lord is Come!"

today....advent

Ah, today.

Apparently 2 weeks is too long for a Thanksgiving break.....live and learn.

The adorable kindergartener has to be carried like a log to the table for study time, bending a metal pail holding his precious markers just for emphasis.

Another, old enough to know better, will not, no matter the laps run, sentences written, promises to involve the principal....
-will not face the teacher, look at the teacher, answer a question, acknowledge the presence of a family who loves.

How can we read Isaiah's promise ~

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him--
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD

and turn our backs on one another?

How can one family shoot so many painful darts eye to eye, mouth to mouth, hand to hand?

Messy lives, messy days, messy hearts.

How we need a Savior.

So we sing together~

Come thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free
From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee

And those young blessings, they mostly sit and stare, watching Mama sing and reading her face for signs of how the day will go.

And Mama fights back tears.

Then I know, as we stumble and fail and celebrate this time of Advent, looking around is all it takes.

Here is what I found: