Let Me Do It Myself

A few weeks ago I started to realize just how much I'd slipped. :)
When the big boys were little, they were in the kitchen with me from the time they were born practically. I have pictures of Micha in the front pack at a few months old while I was baking. Terran, at the age of two was taking the measuring cup with me to dump into the bowl and counting with me, one, two, three...
At the age of four, he was baking cookies, brownies, etc with me just telling him step by step what to do.
By six, he was reading the recipes on his own and making those things.
And by 8 or so, he was making anything he wanted.
And he was so good in the kitchen, that somehow I failed to train any of his siblings to come after him! How did that happen?

So, I pulled Terran aside one day and asked for his help to start training. I was so blessed to have him bring me these pictures later in the day. He'd taken 4 year old Amanda under his wing, read the directions on a brownie mix box to her and let her do almost *everything* by herself. (I think he might have helped a little with the eggs, but I'm not sure.)



Amanda stirring up the brownies -



Spreading it into the pan that she'd greased - (we didn't have a square pan the right size.) Obviously she'd been licking the bowl already. :)


Ready to go into the oven -

Terran helps Amanda put the brownies into the oven -

The timer is set and the brownies baking. (This was when our oven was out of commission for a while, hence the toaster oven.) The house smells divinely of chocolate!

Amanda is so proud of herself! The brownies look wonderful!

Squeezing out the packet of frosting -

Spreading out the frosting -

So yummy! And she did it (almost) all by herself!

Spring Came to Play

They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Here in Wisconsin it's more like March comes in like a lion and then it has multiple personality disorder, switching constantly back and forth from lion to lamb to lion... and it's anyone's guess as to which one it will go out like. LOL

Yesterday afternoon was gorgeous, sunny and 50 degree weather. The children so enjoyed getting outside and enjoying the day!

One of my friends recently made the comment that spring looks like a slightly paler version of fall at this point in the year.

It certainly looked like fall, with the boys raking leaves yesterday. :)






Micha, Terran, and Jeremi all actually let me take their pictures!!


Their raking uncovered beautiful signs of spring!!! I love seeing the green things starting to come up!

The girls enjoyed getting to go out and play too.

Lissa, giving her doll, Rosemary a ride in the swing. :)



Juli and Emi talking on the front porch step. (Emilie's photogrey glasses get SO dark in the sunlight!)

Abigail in a tree. Hmm, seems similar to another picture I have posted of her recently, now that I think about it. :)

Amanda blowing bubbles...

... and Julihannah catching them!

We're supposed to get another 5 inches of snow this weekend but I've been hearing a pretty little cardinal singing it's gorgeous little song right outside my window most every morning for the last couple of weeks. So real spring is coming soon!

Thank God for glimpses of what's to come!

Recorded Savannah's Song - updated

Draft number 2 is done with much improvement. :)
(make sure you pause the music on the blog at the right before opening the link. They don't go well together LOL)
http://www.daddys-little-princess.com/throughgodseyes2.mp3


At least a decent first draft. :)
click here to listen, if you like:
http://www.daddys-little-princess.com/throughgodseyes.mp3

Watching for the Morning

I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Ps. 130:5-6

While I was in labor with Savannah, I shared with my friend, Jewels that I was remembering another labor.

When I had my Emilie, I labored all night long. She was not in a good position for birth so I had problems with uneven dilation and double and triple peak contractions. And it just kept on going. and going. Until the early hours of the morning, when suddenly she was here!

As I lay in the bed with her after she'd taken her first breath and snuggled in to nurse like a champion, the verse came to mind,

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning"! (Ps. 30:5)

I told Jewels that I knew the morning *would* come this time too, but that I thought it would take a lot longer.

Am I still waiting for the morning? Yes, and no.

I've seen so many glimpses of God's sunlight, felt so much joy in my heart, I can't really say that I haven't seen the morning.

Yet at the same time, I've felt such deep sorrow, cried out in such pain, how could this not still be the night?

Are the glimpses of the sun mere mirages?

No, I think that in this life, it is as it is in this natural world. Day follows night follows day. There will be times of joy and times of sorrow times of smiles and times of tears. I guess it's no different than what Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes - there is a time for everything.

I live my life trusting that the day will come again - both the day here in this life and the DAY of eternity.

Yet, it's not just the hope of a better tomorrow that keeps me going, it is knowing that even in the darkness, God is here - loving me - holding me - letting me cry - and then exchanging my thoughts for His. I suppose I could hang onto the pain and let it turn into bitterness, and for a moment - less than a moment - I think about living in a place that cries "Why me?" "Where is God?" And the darkness is more than I can bear. I *must* take those thoughts captive. I *must* say thankyou to my dear Heavenly Daddy for allowing even this. And then He once again takes my hand, leads me a little further down the path, and points me to the dawn.

One of the passages that God has made so dear to me recently is Psalm 42:7-8

Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.

I love that! All YOUR breakers and YOUR waves - none of this is a surprise to God. They are His breakers and waves, allowed in my life for His wonderful purpose!

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime - His mercies truly are new every morning!

And His song will be with me in the night - But even in the night, when the sorrow rolls over me - once again, He is here - singing His lullabye of love - over His dear child!

God gave me a new song yesterday that fits this so well:

I Am Here

When my heart is overwhelmed, and I've never felt such fear,

Never seen such darkness, never cried so many tears -

When I cannot feel Your hand and my heart cries, "Where is God?"

Then I hear Your still, small voice say,

"I am here."

And in the night, Your song sings over me -

Quietly - Gently -

Your love surrounding me,

And peace, like gentle rain, soaks into my soul.

My soul waits for the morning.

I trust there will be a morning,

But even in the night, Your song sings,
"I am here."

When the path on which You've led me is anything but clear -

So infused with danger, so devoid of cheer -

When I look at what's around me, and my heart cries, "Lord, why me?"

Then I hear your still, small voice say,

"I am here."

And in the night, Your song sings over me -
Quietly - Gently -
Your love surrounding me,
And peace, like gentle rain, soaks into my soul.
My soul waits for the morning.
I trust there will be a morning,
But even in the night, Your song sings, "I am here."

For now I see dimly, as in a poor mirror

But one day, Your truth I will view.

In faith, I will listen to Your voice, so dear

And trust You whatever You do.

For even in the night, Your song sings over me -
Quietly - Gently -
Your love surrounding me,
And peace, like gentle rain, soaks into my soul.
My soul waits for the morning.
I trust there will be a morning,
But even in the night, Your song sings, "I am here."

When God Closes a Door...

When God closes a door, He opens a window. Or so goes the saying.

I'd say rather, when He says "no", it's because He has something even better in mind!

When my milk came in a few days after Savannah's birth, I thought I'd like to donate milk to the local milk bank, if there was one.

I checked the internet, and made some phone calls, and waited for someone to call me back. It turned out there was a milk "depot" in Madison, about an hour away. ( A drop off point for the actual milk "bank" which was in Ohio.)

So, the lady from Ohio eventually called me back and seemed very interested - until she started asking the screening questions. Everything went well until, "Have you ever lived outside the United States?"

Um, yes. My husband was in the Navy and we spent four years stationed in Sicily. Unfortunately it was during a certain period of time that made my milk unacceptable.

Apparently it's because of mad cow disease.

I researched it, and it turns out that although there is NO evidence that CJD (the human version of mad cow disease) is transmissable from mother to child through her milk - or any other way, there is a *theoretical* risk.

So because we lived in Europe during a time when I *might* have been exposed to mad cow disease,

even though I certainly don't have the disease

and even though I've had SIX babies since then who have thrived on my milk,

they couldn't accept it.

I cried. I'll admit it. :)

But then, my midwife "happened" to call

and she just "happened" to mention

that she just "happened" to be leaving the house of a dear lady

who just "happened" to have a 6 week old baby

and just "happened" to have recently found out that she (the mother) has breast cancer.

God said no to the milk bank, but said yes to something far better.

An opportunity to not only share my milk with someone in need but to get to know a dear, sweet lady -

shared faith -

mutual encouragement -

I've been praying for lots of milk for baby Gretta and God is providing.

This is my second week pumping. The first week, I got four little jars - two of them half full.

This week, it's 11 jars - one of them double size!!

God is so good!

I'll See a Wonderland of White

Last Sunday afternoon - into night we had a big snow storm.


As I watched the snow come down, once again, that song God gave me a few weeks ago sang over and over in my head.



Let the storm rage all around, I'll see the snow fall gently down,

I'll see a wonderland of white

A place of beauty, shining bright

and I'll trust - and I'll praise -

and I'll choose to see my life, through God's eyes...

This incredibly beautiful picture is what I awoke to find the next morning - truly a wonderland of white and a place of beauty, shining bright!

What an awesome thing to be able to see what God is making through the storm both around me and within me ...

Enchanted Tea Party

There is an enchanted garden in our house. It isn't usually there.
But once in a great while, when you least expect it,
the "fairies" magically make the garden appear
just for a little while
and then just as magically, it's gone. :)

It is only there when the "fairy heart" is on the door
and even then, you dare not go in without an invitation,
or they will make it disappear again and maybe not come back for a long time. :)


going up the magical mountain where the roses grow upside-down ;)

the fairy heart is on the door! and we have our invitations!

surprise!

flowers all around and a tea party laid out for us!

The girls are so excited!

biscuits and jam for lunch - yum!

(ok, so it's not that healthy, but after all, it's not every day you're invited to a fairy tea party!)

prettiest dresses and best behaviour. :) And peanut butter cookies for dessert.

It was a lovely party. Thankyou, fairies, for inviting us.

Then, time for nap.

And the enchanted garden has disappeared again.

Until next time...