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Three Kids and a Mom {vacation}

 

Once upon a time, there was a girl.
Actually, a mom.
A mom and her three  little kiddos.

Uh, yes, three kiddos. One didn’t make it on the picture.

And she had a friend.
A very dear friend, whom she had made so many memories with in Pennsylvania and Ohio and all across Asia.
This same friend invited her to Florida for several days.

The mom deliberated.
It sure sounded fun.
This friend is so dear indeed.
And there was a new baby girl to meet.

But it was 6 hours away. One way.
With three kids.  Because it didn’t work for Husband to go.
Would it be brave or crazy?

There was much deliberation.
But then she decided:
it was waaaay too much fun to say no.

So they went.
And they picked up the mom’s sister on the way, which also added to the off-the-charts fun factor.

 

They stayed at a house with the friend, her friend’s mom, her friend’s mother-in-law, her friend’s sister-in-laws and baby.
It was such great times.
There was always a party.
Even for the kids.

 

They got to meet this adorably beautiful little girl, who has so much personality for a three-month-old person.
And the time with the baby’s mother was just so amazing.
Real friendships just are so precious.

There were a few moments of stress for the mom,
including one morning when all her kiddos awoke at 7am to a house that was planning to sleep in.

She had to send up an SOS to the Lord to calm her soul,
and help her with a vacation that was more like a superfunsuperbusytime than rest and relaxing.
Kids sort of make that change, and she wasn’t quite prepared.

But after that one morning, it was really great.

There was her grandmother to visit, Grandma Susan, as the kiddos call her, about fifteen minutes away.
[and no, I’m no towering giant. my dear grandma is not quite 5 feet. :) ]


There were oceans to visit.
Or, I suppose it was actually the Gulf.

[pre-ocean anticipation]

 
 

 

There was a fabulous kids’ paradise to spend the day at.
The kids and the mom were even brave enough to touch the snakes and gators.

 

There was an auntie who loved her nieces and nephew so very much, and was a great help to the mom.

And a mom/daughter picture that hasn’t happened for a very long time.

There were jungle trails to walk, with popcorn in hand, of course.
What else would you eat while walking a jungle trail?

 

And there were flamingos to feed that made the oldest daughter simply leap with excitement.

The happiness factor brought sisterly hugs to pictures with not even a hint from mom.

 

There was a favorite little breakfast joint to eat one morning. Er, two mornings.

And ice cream. They couldn’t forget the ice cream.
It was a daily necessity, from anywhere and everywhere.

This was probably the favorite place.

It was a pretty big WOW of their vacation.


And then, despite the attempts to lengthen the days and the desires to the kiddos to “let’s MOVE here!”
it was time to return home to their very own little cottage.

The sister’s husband came to have a romantic weekend getaway with his bride.

And the three kiddos and a mom made their way back home.
The first three hours was a dream.
It really was amazing. Sleeping children, singing children.
It was too good to be true.

At hour three, we ran into a problem:
the interstate was closed. Closed closed CLOSED.
There was a massive detour which would take hours longer.

The mother, who had been deliberating whether to call herself ‘brave’ or ‘crazy’ decided on crazy. :)

A stop at Walmart to buy movies (hey, movies are cheaper than a hotel!)
a stop at McD’s for Happy Meals (gotta keep up the morale with new toys)
and a few years, I mean tears, later,
they all arrived back home safely.

The six hours home only took nine.
Yes, nine.
She felt like a rag doll when she got home.

It was a delicious vacation, there in Florida.
It was worth every minute of that nine hour trip home alone.

But three kids and a mom [on vacation] later, they’re happy to be back home with the Daddy of the family.

And they all lived happily [ever after]……. :)

 

 

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Ten Favorite Things

 

1. {Bed-head and a daddy who loves her}

2. {Sorry games on Sunday nights. }

It’s becoming tradition.



3. {Giveaway}

Some of you were asking what all was included in the giveaway package.
At the time, I didn’t know. :)
I took a few pictures before the package was sent out.

4. {Food Food Food!}

{Quiche}

Tomato, Feta, & Spinach Quiche, to be exact.
All credit goes to my friend Rochelle, who made it, and I declared it THE best quiche I’ve ever had.

I’ve only made it like, three times, within the past week.
I must remember not to over-do it.

{Crusty Bread}

All credit goes to my friend Shelly, who served it to me in the first place.
Making bread sort of scares me, so it took me a few months to muster up the courage to try it.
And when I did, I made this recipe 4 times within a week. :)
Twice for other people, I have to add that in.

I’m having great fun cooking these days. Which is saying a lot! :)

{Coffee with Whip}
It takes a home-brew to a whole new level. It’s the little things.

5. {New light}

For the kitchen.
Free. Which is always better than cheap.
A bit of a spray paint job over the hunter green, and now it’s a silver.
Almost exactly as i wanted, but just didn’t want to buy.
I love my husband’s remodel jobs. :)

6. {First Blossoms}

Simple things delight me.
Especially when they smell divine.

7. {Spring-ish Winter-ish Mantel}

chalkboard sign inspired by Pinterest

8. {Baby Gifts}

Not for me, for my friends.
The swaddling blankets are my fave,
I make the burp cloths and diaper clutch for My Faire Lady.

9. {Blanket and Mattress Forts}

It makes a disaster, this is true.
But their imaginations can go for it all day long, and it’s worth it.
For a day. :)

 

10. {My little son, at 9 months}


 

Sometimes blogging seems so… trivial and shallow.
After my friend Ruth died, I wondered if I could ever blog again.
How could life ever be the same, when part of me died too?

And the answer, I’m finding, is that life will not ever be the same.
The pain of losing such a treasured friend will always be there.

And yet the legacy of her life, the way in which she lived,
continues to inspire me.

I want to live, and live well.
I want to treasure my days,
to love my family and friends,
to not take a single minute for granted.

And surprisingly, my little blog has been one way for me to do that.
To stop and remember the things that are precious and good,
to honor my God,
to give thanks for the things I’ve been given,
this life I’ve been given,
even when I ache daily with the loss of Ruth.

I find it’s often those little things in a week that make it special.
That phone call, that rainy day at home,
that special little comment from your daughter,
that late-night talk with your husband…

What’s made it special for you?

~ clarita

 

Posted on

Making: Saints and Pink Cupcakes

“Significance is found in giving your life away, not in selfishly trying to find personal happiness.”
[G. Thomas]

I prayed.
That God would help this Valentine’s Day to not be about me and my expectations,
where a date would have been my ideal,
but about my precious little family, my husband and children, and helping them to have the best time ever.

And you know?
It was one of the best family times we have EVER had.
Ever.

Romantic?
Well, not in the gushy sense of the word, no.

But love?
Yes, LOVE.
The enjoyment of one another, the gift of being family.

Pink Cupcake Day.

We have this tradition of cupcake baking baking on Valentine’s Day.
It started 2-3 years ago, it’s easy, and it’s so fun!
We kind of even started calling the holiday Pink Cupcake Day.

I mean, with darling matching aprons from my sister, how could it not be fun?

This is my kind of baking with kids. :)

[that little icing tube on the far left? it’s amazing. it’ll make you look like Bakerella.]

And because I know that French parents allow their children to help with adult-ish things…

… but French children probably don’t lick the batter…

Let me just interject in the middle here… that baking with children is the makings of sainthood.
And shows you how far you have to go!
I say that not mockingly, but seriously.

The day we were baking, all three of us in a little crowded space, I smiled to myself because it was a dream come true.
This day of doing fun things with my daughters, involving them in what I was doing, making memories, creating traditions…
It was just good and wonderful.

And then there is the side of reality.
Where there are umpteen “Uh-oh, Mommy!” “Oh nooo!” “Sorry, Mom!”
for the spinkles that spilled, for the mixer cord that got in the batter, for the hands that were covered in sticky mess, for the floor that was a disaster, for…..

And the challenge really is to live in the mess of reality but with the heart of the dream coming true.

It’s almost crazy how tiny little people can make you realize how much you like to control your life,
or how you want everything perfect.
It shows ugly things about yourself.
And how all they care about is whether you loved them and showed them Jesus,
not whether what you did was pinterest-worthy.

To not end the baking day in frustration because of the mEsS!!! that was created.
To not talk sharply because they weren’t being careful.
But to stay calm when it’s disaster.
To say, “It’s okay” and mean it when yet another something spills.
To be able to laugh and enjoy them, even in the middle of the mess…

It wasn’t perfect.
I wasn’t perfect.
They weren’t perfect.
But it was such a wonderful day.
And I was happily exhausted by the end of it all. :)


A very proud and messy Olivia holds the finished cupcakes.


Hudson’s job was just to look cute, which he is kinda good at. And then he had a bath in the sink while we baked.

 

While the cupcakes were cooling, we took a few pictures in the back yard.

 

 

 


  

And on Happy Heart Day itself, I had planned to take the kids to the Big City.
Because we live in a small town, there are perks and disadvantages.
One disadvantage is that our options are limited for activities and experiences.

The Big City is really quite a big deal.
It’s like Country Mouse meets City Mouse.
My kids do not even know what a mall is. No kidding!
We live an hour from the nearest Starbucks.
I love city.
My husband loves country. ;)

So the plans were to take the kids to THE most darling little cupcake shop ever,
then to ride a little train and some fun kid stuff AT THE MALL and head home.

Husband caught wind and thought it sounded too fun to not be involved, so we made it a family evening instead of a mom/kid day trip.

[yes, i desperately need a tan! :)]

Introducing: Gigi’s Cupcakes.

Home of the $3 over-sized cupcakes, totally worth their money. :)

 

 

Part way through the day I exclaimed to Zoe, “Isn’t this the MOST FUN DAY EVER?!”
I was having SO much fun.
And she looked at me, raised her eyebrows and said, “You’re funny.”
And it tripped me out that my own little daughter thought my excitement was a little over-the-top.
Whaaat?!

And then a trip to the carousel and little train…
(we made proper introductions: “Yes, children. This is called a mall!”)

Blurry pictures but showing the happy faces.

 
 

And thus ended the holiday, with a tired baby, happy kidders, and a couple more in love after seven years of marriage than ever before!

“The pleasure-seeker is not the pleasure-finder;
those who are the happiest men who think least about happiness.”
[J.C. Sharp]

~clarita

 

Posted on

An Old Fashioned Wife

 Two beautiful women have contributed to this post through their pictures and photography, Janelle of Stoltzfus in Strasburg
{she’s the lovely model in the pictures, a personal friend, and her blog is one of my favorites! do stop by there and say hello!},
and Jolyn, of In His Image Photography {she’s the lovely photographer, also find her on facebook}.
Huge huge thanks to them!

Some time ago I read an article that quoted a 1950’s public high school text book.
I did not write down the exact words,
but what I do remember has stayed with me for years.

And my daughters enjoy the “Dick and Jane” books.
Take a good look at those books again, will you?
Those pictures?
Mother looks fit for a magazine at all times, it’s quite amazing.
Heels to the grocery store?
Wow. Take me back.

I was able to find the quote again, thanks to online searches.
This may seem a bit extreme, and I agree: parts of it are!

{And I also realize this is specifically talking to stay-at-home wives.
So, if you work outside the home, this may not all work.}

However, read it in a “How can I bless my husband?” kind of way
rather than an “Are you even joking me, that’s too much!!” kind of way.

   

   

Entitled, “How to be a Good Wife”

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return.
This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs.
Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he  arrives.
Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking.  
He has just been with a lot of work-weary people

Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him.
His boring day may need a lift and it is your privilege to provide it.

Clear away the clutter. 
Make one last trip through the main part of the  house just before your husband arrives. 
Run a dustcloth over the tables.

During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by.
Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and  order, and it will give you a lift too.
After all, catering to his comfort will  provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Minimize all noise. 
At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the  washer, dryer or vacuum. 
Encourage the children to be quiet.

Be happy to see him.

Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Listen to him.
You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time.
Let him talk first.

Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.

  _________________

Like I said, there’s a lot in there. :)
Feminists were absolutely furious when they rediscovered that bit of “slavery!!”
And now is not the time I’m going to to talk about whether husbands and wives divide responsibility based on gender….

However, what stayed with me was the servanthood portrayed for the delight of the husband.
Modern-day Americans tend to think of no one but themselves, and this can easily carry over into the home as well.

We can so easily get stuck in the “Poor Me!” mode, wanting everything to be about us,
wanting our husband  to do everything right for us,
and forgetting that we have a part to play in our marriage too!

 

Hand raised, I know that marriage is a lot of hard work.
I don’t think anyone could have prepared me for how hard it really is!
And I’m not naive enough to think marriage is all about a little bit of lipstick at end of the day! :)

Marriage is not all about outward appearances, far from it.
There is a love that goes much deeper than being “perfect and poised.”
I’m blessed with a man who loves me so well,
whether I look ghastly ill or ready to go out on the town or anywhere in between!

But I think sometimes as the years go by in marriage,
it can be easy to forget those little things that were so important at the beginning of our newly-wedded life.
I’ve been taking some inventory on my own part in my marriage lately.

Take that bit of time when Husband comes home from work, for example…

{newly-wed Clarita}
I don’t know about you, but I sure looked forward to and prepared that his stepping in the door.
No bad breath for me! I’d brush my teeth, or at least pull out the breath mints please.
Oh, and make sure my clothes are cute and clean. Old ratty clothes? What were those?
And no grumpy face, no way. There was a lingering hug and an “I’m so happy you’re home!!”

 

And seven years later, I STILL look forward to his arrival home. Maybe more than ever. :)
But with three little kiddos and a household to organize maintain keep alive juggle I get to be responsible for,
the preparation can so easily be minimized or forgotten!

{somedays, post-third-baby Clarita}
“Daddy’s home!! Quick, clean up the house!! Change out of your PJ’s!!”
and there are days I meet him in a frump without even a thought of a breath mint.
I mean, sometimes the main thought is that we survived the day, you know?

No one died, any blood is cleaned up, any WWIII’s are or will soon be over.
And boy, sometimes it can be hard to think past the dinner that will soon be burnt
or the little person that’s calling, “Someone wipe me!!”

Not to mention that 6pm is not the prime time of the day for the littles and me…

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that my first priority is my husband,
and secondly my children.
Repeat: he is my first priority.

There are worse things, I know, than not preparing for Husband’s arrival home.
I’m not trying to magnify something that’s ridiculous.

But I do keep thinking,
“What’s it like coming home to ME?”

“What’s it like being married to me?
What’s it like hearing the words that I say?
What’s it like living with my attitude?”
[G. Thomas]

Those little things that used to be a big deal… do they still matter to me?

Regardless of whether our husbands work a professional job with other classy dressed-up women,
or if he’s a comin’-home-dirty kind of man,
my guess is that he would want to see a pretty sight, in the form of his wife.

 

Not that PJ’s are awful, but under most circumstances they shouldn’t be an every-day thing.
Not that messy hair is always bad, but not every. single. day.
And bad breath? Well, I have no excuse for that, unless there is gum disease. :)

Am I someone that is so fun to come home to, or will he be afraid of what he’ll meet?
Does he know I love him, but well, the house is always in continual nearly-condemned state?

It’s a little thing, I know, but I think the Old Fashioned Wife has a lot of good sense.
After all, marriage statistics were a lot better back in her day.

So put on a pretty little frock
(or at least clothes that don’t stink, have spit up, poo, or kitchen grease on them)
brush your teeth and use a breath mint,
and freshen that makeup and lipstick…
a little squirt of perfume wouldn’t hurt either! :)

And don’t stop there!
Take the time to welcome him home {not just hollar hi from the corner of the house}
and hug him. For at least 10 seconds. At least.
The longer, the better, really. :)

[and I’m off to follow my own advice!]

Make your husband happy all over again that he gets to come home to YOU! :)

~ clarita

Posted on

Bring in the Post, Please

And we have a winner!
It was so so fun to read all the comments
and hear of from every single one of you!
And so fun that there are a lot of people who still like an old fashioned letter.
I love it! :)

I think almost everyone that commented I thought,
“Oooo, I hope SHE wins!”
and then at the end I was feeling bad that there was only one winner!

I used random.org to choose a winning number…
My heart was pounding as I entered the number,
the number 70 popped up,
and the winner is Laura K.!

Congratulations, Laura!

Here is her comment:
“Ah, Clarita! If only you knew how deeply this post resonates in my own soul!
It makes me so very glad to know that there is actually someone else on this earth who shares my fondness for all things snail mail.
There is just something so romantic, so special, so thoroughly wonderful
about getting an envelope or brown paper package tied up with string in the postbox!
Anyway, t’was a beautiful post, dear lady, you made my day! :)”

If you can contact me, Laura, at claritayoder (@) gmail.com
with your mailing information, that’d be great!

Thank you, every single person, who took the time to comment!
I so enjoyed your comments!

__________________________________________________________

sta-tion-ery: noun
\ˈstā-shə-ˌner-ē\

lost art 
{pinterest}

There are times when I think we live in the best era.

We have washing machines; no more doing laundry by hand.
I mean, can you imagine?

We have electric ovens, stoves, irons, hot water, indoor plumbing.

We can buy fresh strawberries and brussels sprouts and lettuce all year round;
we don’t have to wait on a garden to produce it for us.

We have a google search bar.
What did people do without that?

We have contacts and lasik surgery and braces and tamers for frizzy hair.

We have the digital camera,
making wanna-be photographers out of many of us (me included).

There are computers and computer programs,
speeding Bible translation by a decade and letting Jesus be known.

There are simulcasts and online sermons and wonderful blogs.

There are great authors by the scores, books to strengthen us and help us learn a million different things.

There is Pinterest, if you ever have an idea and want to see it realized before your eyes.

There are iPhones and kindles and laptops and iPods.

Seriously, even in my lifetime it is almost unbelievable what has changed.

There are a few things, though, that make me want to return to the
good old days.

One of those things is the post.
[yes, i’ll say post. it just sounds way cooler than snail-mail.]

I am a big, a BIG, fan of mail.
Any kind of mail, really.

I love to open up facebook and see a new message or two.
And seeing a friend’s name in my email inbox is so fun too.

But there is nothing that compares to seeing an envelope

with my name on it
in the mailbox.

Be it small,  large.  a package, a box,  a single envelope ~
it makes my heart flutter.
maybe even more like pound.

I know, I know.
I’m still a kid like that.

stationery: noun
\ˈstā-shə-ˌner-ē\

1: materials (as paper, pens, and ink)
for writing or typing
2: letter paper,
usually accompanied with matching envelopes

But that someone would think of me and send me a card?
Or take the time to say, “I was thinking of you and wanted to tell you!”?
Or just “I’m glad we’re friends”…
A few lines to a friend telling her what I like about her?
A little note to my husband, telling him thanks for working hard to provide for us?

Words aren’t even my primary love language,
but let me tell you, a handwritten note touches something deep within me.

If someone writes me a card,
not just signs their name, but actually writes a note,
I cannot bear to throw it away.
I have entire boxes full of cards and letters from friends since I and they first could write our names.
No joke.
{that was my confession}

There is something about a card or a letter that is so special.
There is time involved.
The effort made to say something.
And often words will tumble out in a card that wouldn’t in person.
Encouraging words, telling someone how much we love them,
how much they mean to us, telling them specifically what we like about them.
It’s becoming a lost art.

I think too as I’m a stay-at-home mom,
this is something that seems that it’s a forgetten ministry even.
To receive a card of encouragement as a mother/.wife/woman  is so hugely impacting to me.
And I want to remember to bless other people in the same way.

I’m not the model poster-child on sending a card through the post.
I have a lot of good intentions, but the doing it, especially with kiddos, can be more difficult.
But I love stationery, cards, paper, creativity, handwriting…

From the time I was old enough to buy my own stationery I kept a stash of it at all times.
First it was Hallmark, spending great sums on one single card.

Now I continually have a drawer full, but now with more economical pricing. :)
[It’s necessary in part because my girls are -almost daily- wanting to write cards.
There are times when some favorites disappear, but I do love that about them.]
I love Target’s selection of boxed cards.
Seriously, their designers are just so great.
Even Walmart (even!!) has a really pretty assortment.

But my favorite place to buy notecards is the overstock stores,
like Marshalls or T.J. Maxx or Ross.
The prices there are unbeatable.
You never know what you’ll find, but that’s the fun of the hunt. :)

My next place to buy supplies though?
When I need, er, want, more?
ETSY.
I browse Etsy like some might Pinterest.
Etsy is just too much for me, in a good way.
I love it, because it’s created, hand-created by someone
{at least, what i like to look at}.
I am SO inspired by that.

So, there are a few pictures of what inspired me all over again to write a card.

Envelopes.
Think outside the box.

A friend sent her Christmas cards out this year in a little brown bag.
It was ADORABLE. The creativity and cuteness was off the charts!
So I browsed {where else?} etsy for more ideas of the Little Brown Bag.

The Little Brown Bag,
so many adorable, easy, and crafty ideas…

{the bicycle stamp bag}

to make

 {the little red wagon stamp bag}

red wagon

{the striped bag with tape}

striped bag

 {the lace  bag}

with lace

{the music sheet envelope and card set}

stationery to make

{the old advertisement envelope}

so unique

{the polka dot and striped bags with string}

paper bags polka dots

{bags with paper doilies}

doily

{chevron bags}

kraft paper bag envelopes

Oh, and just in case you want to put a crumpet, er, crescent, in the bag instead…

fresh goodies

Or for Valentine’s Day, if you like the doily look…

doily envelope

Or a sweet feeling from years by gone…

pretty envelopes

And of course, if you like a more modern/contemporary look,
or if you want some real envelopes,
there are lots of fun options for you from paper-source.com . . .

envelopes and cards

invitation envelopes Invitation Enclosures

{the button enclosure}

{the half moon enclosure}

And a few more colorful envelopes I found, various sites & sources…

DIY envelopes color color

Does that make you excited yet about Bringing in the Post? :)
I mean, seriously, one of these babies in my mailbox?
I guess the question really is: does this make me excited about sending someone else a post?
Because that’s just as much fun.

And I’m not quite done. :)

And Hand Lettering! Let’s not forget that.
Just in case you also enjoy pretty handwriting, here are some lovely ideas for your envelopes…

These are the only, and I mean ONLY, kinds of pens I use.
I’m super super picky.
Different pens write differently, I’m not kidding.

Introducing: the Pilot P-500, extra-fine in black.

6 PCS PILOT P-500 BALL POINT PEN Black ink

{edited to add: the below examples are not my own handwriting!
pictures found online via pinterest :) }

beautiful love it

envelope address style lucy & ricky

In case you want lovely writing in one second…

{expressionery.com}

{etsy, custom stamp}

lovely writing

Some of my intentions for Twenty-Thirteen include sending more notes via the post.

And, in celebration of the old-fashioned post and a hand-written note, 
I’m going to do a little giveaway
{yes, the first from The Cottage}
and create a little stationery gift package for someone who comments on this post.
You do not need a xanga account to comment.

The giveaway may or may not include some of the above articles,
{um, I’m just making this up as I go, it’s a spontaneous idea!}
and any kind of stationery item.
It will be a cute little {not huge! :)} package,
and I hope you will enjoy!

Giveaway will be open until January 29,
and the winner will be announced sometime that week.
The package will be sent before March. :)

this giveaway is now closed

{I’m sorry, I will not be able to ship internationally, exception of Canada with U.S. mailing address}

Happy Posting! :)

 ~clarita

s

Posted on

Loaves & Fishes vs. Wine & Cheese

It’s been a past month of
Christmas and
New Years and
family and
holidays and
food and
awful flu sickness and
all three sisters visiting!! and
80 degree weather the past week and
Zoe wanting to read everything in sight and
realizing there are 30 mis-matched socks in my bin with no pair and
helping a friend do her baby registry [baby fever] and
helping to plan a baby shower for said friend with other friends and
meetings at church with a missionary from Canada and
seeing a golf cart with a trailer going down the street and realizing he’s Fedex and
Hudson popping his 4th tooth and
my sister Ervina featured in this magazine
Olivia bee-bopping around as usual and counting in the 80’s and
beginning to read ‘Farmer Boy’ with Zoe and
allergies that made me so ill and
just catching up on life after having such a busy last year…
Whew.
Life with three kiddos and a husband is never dull.
Adding a few extra things in there makes it full.
In a good way.

It’s a rainy windy day in the south,
so maybe that’s why my thoughts turned a bit deeper today…

Do you ever have those moments of wondering what you have to offer?
Of maybe not even feeling insecure,
but just thinking what you have to offer is not worth all that much.

I mean, there is always someone else who can
talk better
dress better
cook better
create better
write better
laugh better
have better behaved kids
have a cleaner house
be more organized
have a better blog
be wittier and funnier
have a better marriage
say such profound things [and mine just comes out jumbled]
make such an impact on their world
have the favor of almost everyone
seem to have life so easy 
never have things stuck in their teeth
who never has bad morning breath……

Okay, okay, maybe not quite the last two.
But you know what I mean?
Sometimes it seems that our lives, while special to God,
may not be something that matters to other people.

Life has thrown some hard things the past few months.
It’s still not perfect, not even easy, necessarily.

There are things like losing a dear friend that changes what the rest of my life looks like.
It changes perspective on life, it shakes up what I thought was imporant and valuable.
I realize how much of life I took for granted, expecting a tomorrow every day.

There are hard and painful things that test the foundation of my relationship with God,
and test where my security lies.
And sometimes the testing reveals things I don’t like to see.

There is the beginning of a new year, which is both exciting and sobering.
I want my life to count, not for myself, but for God and eternity,
to be who He created me to be, not just a phantom of it.

I was talking to God about some of these things,
and suddenly remembered the story of the little boy with the loaves and fishes.
It’s so neat how God spoke the Word, not just for a neat story, but to speak life forever after.
And it suddenly became alive to me…

It was a simple gift, a humble offering.
He could have withheld it, been embarrassed by his poor-boy lunch,
plus, what could it help with so many people?

But he offered it.
And that’s all that matters.
Would he have not given his little lunch,
a miracle wouldn’t have happened because of his gift.
Jesus could’ve still worked, He is not limited by us,
but the blessing would not have been given to the boy.

And so often I withhold.
Because my gift,
what I have to offer,
the little strength I have,
is just so small.
It just doesn’t seem significant enough.
Maybe I don’t just have fish and bread,
maybe I even feel like all I am is fish and bread.

It’s not a 5 course meal with Wine & Cheese & Olives,
like I wish it was.
All I have is simple bread, roasted fish.
Loaves & Fish.

What could God want with that anyway,
when there are offerings of Wine & Cheese?
Why not just let those people give when it seems like so much more?

The miracle is not in what we have to give.
It’s not in the Loaves & Fish
or in the Wine & Cheese.
It’s not in the bigness or the smallness of the offering.

The miracle is in the God who takes our simple offering and breaks it, and blesses others with it.
The miracle is that GOD is blessed with it.
Wow.
Maybe He’ll take it and multiply it to one person,
maybe  He’ll continue multiplying it to five thousand people,
but either way it’s so much more blessing than if we would’ve kept it for ourselves.

It’s scary sometimes, you know?
To offer?
What if it still doesn’t seem significant?
What if other people make comments about it,
like, “All she’s doing is that! How can that even help or make a difference?”
I want to learn to be still, to offer even still,
and to know Jesus’ approval, know He cares about what I have to offer,
to hear Him saying to my heart,
“Bring it to me.”

Whether He takes my humble offering
and blesses one person or a hundred,
I want to learn to offer…

I think I often write after the fact,
like, “God did this” or “God came through a week ago”.
Today I write from right now.
In the middle of learning.
In the middle of a bit of scared.

Watchword for 2013:  OFFER
Learn to offer my loaves and fishes.

………………………………………………………………

// I love to watch my daughter learn. It thrilles me to see that she enjoys learning //



// that little green envelope? well, she kinda has a crush on her daddy. //

// little man, pre-hair-trimming. his hair only grows on the top of his head! //

// he adores his [bearded] daddy. it melts my heart //


// Kenny making a fabulous Dutch oven supper for us one night//



// a sister and her fiance’! yes, my third sister is getting married! //


// two sisters and their men and my brother came to visit us after Christmas!
we sure did miss our other sister and her husband who came to see us later.
but I was sick and didn’t get any pictures :(  //


// two of my lovelies, how am I so lucky?
wearing our Sevenly shirts – ‘love the orphan’ //

 

~clarita

 

 

 

Posted on

A Cottage Christmas

Merry Christmas!

It’s the week before Christmas!
How did this happen, time going so fast?
A year ago we were just leaving Colorado,
seven months ago our first son was born;
this year ~ WHERE has it gone?
Is it having three children that makes time nearly a blur?

I don’t like a life that feels busy.
I like it full, in a positive sense of the word, but not busy.
I like time to sit, to enjoy, to rest, to refresh, to create.
Lately it seems that we’ve been on a race against time,
and that I do not like.

Today, however, we slowed.
Unfortunately, it was the two little ladies of the cottage who awoke with fevers.
Too bad it was that which made us slow, but slow we did.
Sitting on the sofa reading books, watching Little House movies.
Drinking tea and hot chocolate.
Cuddling precious little children, because I can.

I love to watch life through the eyes of my children.
And Christmas ~ that added sparkle in their eyes,
the laugh that easily bubbles from their mouths,
the innocence, the wonder, the enjoyment of living.
From the a.m.a.z.i.n.g. gingerbread house party my neighbor Lauren did for a bunch of kids,
to digging in the depths of boxes hauled from the attic,
to singing songs
to the excitement of the gifts…
There is that precious innocence,
that feeling that all is right with the world.
It’s how it should be.

[mailing cards is a family affair. ♥]

I love to see it, to be reminded of the innocence of children.
Because this year, more than ever before, I’m aware of how all is not right with the world.
There is so much hurt, so much pain, so much brokenness.

There is my friend Ruth, who is spending Christmas with Jesus for real this year, and every day hereafter.
For her, there is absolutely nothing better. But for her family, her husband, her children, even as friends, it’s a loss so deep.
To walk life without her? How do we do it?

There is the school shooting last week, the loss of so many innocent lives, so brutal.
And they were only children, still only babies.
I cry when I think of it, I cry reading the news.
Because I have a kindergartner. How absolutely unbearable to lose a child in such a way.

And even in my own little world, there is the reality of pain, of woundedness,
of how imperfect life is, how imperfect I am.

I still love to look at Christmas through the eyes of my children ~
remembering the magical feel of Christmas.

[the most beautiful gingerbread party ever, given by Lauren!]

[zoe and olivia’s houses]

 

But this year? Maybe I’m realizing more than ever WHY there needed to be a Christmas.
I see more of the world how it really is.
Jesus came not because of a magical feeling,
not because this was an innocent world,
not because there was no hurt or pain.

He came because there was pain,
because there needed to be healing,
because there needed to be forgiveness of sins.
He came because His Redemption was desperately needed in this world.
There was simply no other answer, but a Savior.

So maybe I’m not feeling the “magical Christmas” of a starry-eyed child.
But I do have a heart filled with gratitude to Jesus.
That He didn’t leave us alone in depravity, in pain, in sin.
But He came to rescue us, to help us, to enable us to truly live.
What a Jesus!

I read a quote soon before my friend died that I’ve thought of often since then.
It’s not just about how life feels: it’s about the bigger reality.

“Any alleged Christianity which fails to express itself in gaity,
at some point, is clearly spurious.
The Christian is joyful not because he is blind to the injustice and suffering,
but because he is convinced that these, in the light of Divine Sovereignty,
are never ultimate.
Though he can be sad, and is often perplexed, he is never really worried.
The well-known humor of a Christian is not a way of denying the tears,
but rather a way of affirming something which is deeper than the tears.”
[Elton Trueblood]

I LOVE THAT!

And I am strengthened in my God, even in the midst of a wounded world.
This is not the end of the story!

______________________________________________________________

We’ve brought a little of the outdoors inside again this year.
I have a box or two that I bring down from the attic when I want to decorate,
a few ornaments, bows, the nativity set.
But it’s mostly greenery that I love to put around.
It smells just divine, and it makes the house so cozy.
If it weren’t that the pine and cedar start shedding needles by January I’d never want to take them down!

So, if you like, welcome to the Cottage at Christmas.
It’s simple, it’s what we like.

The pictures are just kinda snapshot quality, I guess.
I was having terrible troubles with my lighting and camera combination! :)

The Kitchen.



pinecones with snow spray = i have snow in south georgia!! :)

twine-wrapped bottles = nothing new.
modge-podge doily bottle = inspiration hit :)

The Front Door and Dining Room.



The Restroom.

The Girls Room.

The Music Room.

The Master Bath.

The Master Bedroom.


The Living Room.

 This room is not coming together for me like I would wish.
Red drapes or white ones?
White slip covers or the natural sofas?
Color pillows or neutral?

Oh well.
Today I sit and enjoy it as it is. :)

 

I needed wanted a big chalkboard for the living room, but didn’t have one, didn’t want to buy one.
A trip out to Husband’s shed, several coats of paint on very rough plywood and voila!






And I must be real.
Those pictures of everything in place? That’s true.
It does look like that sometimes.

And at the very same moment, we can have spots like this:

or this.

It’s real life! :)

To all of you who take the time to stop by this little corner of blogland ~
thank you for reading and your encouragement through this past year!
I have been blessed so many times by you!

Merry Christmas!