Stromboli with friends

Last week I enjoyed a fun dinner with some friends. We talked about being more intentional about getting together...and since we all need to eat, well, dinner sounded like a good way to fellowship. I made stromboli, and others brought salad and desserts.

This stromboli recipe is written on a hand-penned 3x5 card from my friend Julie. Unable to make this recipe without thinking of Julie, I'm eternally thankful that God allowed us to be friends. I miss her so very much.

Here is the recipe:

Stromboli

*You can use frozen bread dough, thawed, or make the dough in the bread machine following these instructions: 
1 1/4 c. warm water
3 T. oil
1/8 c. + 2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 T. instant mashed potato flakes
3 c bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. yeast
Dough setting on bread machine.

When dough is finished, roll out on floured surface into large rectangle (like 8"x15").
Brush lightly with oil and sprinkle with oregano and mozzarella cheese. Evenly sprinkle about 1/2-3/4 lb ground beef (browned and drained), pepperoni and more mozzarella.
Roll longways and pinch to seal ends (wet dough to get it to stick together.)
Bake on stone or sprayed baking sheet. 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
Serve slices with warmed pizza sauce.

You can add other meats such as cooked, drained sausage to the inside. Can also be made as lunch meat stromboli--use cheddar cheese, lunch meat and dip in mustard/mayonnaise, etc.

happy valentine's day!

hope you all had a wonderful day spending time with those you love! 

January's Blowing By

I enjoy blogging, trying to find time to blog...I do not enjoy. Some exciting things are taking place around here and I wanted to tell you about them.

Today, I have time at home with no "outside the home" commitments. You may not think that is very exciting, but really, it is! I've been extremely busy in-and-outside our home and that's has made it difficult to get my lesson plans ready for my kids. I've been wingin' it in school since the beginning of January---I do NOT like doing that. So, today, I'm getting myself ready for at least this coming week--and maybe even the rest of the month!

• After looking at this curriculum on Confessions of a Homeschooler, since August, I finally bought it over Christmas! Yippee!! Even though much of it is too easy for Trenton (5.5 years old), it works great with the two preschoolers that I watch. 
• Bethany (my 8.5 year old) "lost" her math book, yep, how convenient, right?? Actually she is very organized and keeps good track of her things. We have no idea where the math book has gone...So a friend told me that on the Math-U-See website, you can generate worksheets for certain lessons (it looks like the even numbered lessons.) You can also generate an answer key. I've already gone and printed off a week's worth of lesson problems.
• I taught a lapbook workshop for a homeschool group on Sunday. The workshop went fine--the greatest treat was meeting a blogger that I follow--Shannon from Song of My Heart! She is sweet, sweet, sweet! It was so fun to meet her and I'm praying that a friendship will grow {as God allows}.
• This week was our monthly local homeschool meeting and our speaker talked about learning styles and modalities. It was fascinating! I'm working through my notes from that evening and thinking about how to apply some of what I learned. Trenton needs to be active while learning. When I saw these Education Cubes, I wished desperately that I'd thought of this idea!! I placed my order for the cubes (on Amazon) and purchased a membership to the Education Cubes site which will give me access to all the printables she makes for the cubes. 
• I've committed to reading the Bible in 90 Days. yeah, I know. But I'm determined to do it! I'm a couple days behind, however that is not deterring me. My big goal is to get caught up this weekend. Feel free to ask me how it's going any time between now and March.

Okay, well I'm off and running, printing, planning, laminating and so on and so on. 

A New Post in the New Year

We had a wonderful Christmas. We celebrated Advent and the kids eagerly anticipated Jesus' birthday. After opening gifts Christmas morning and enjoying homemade cinnamon rolls, we watched a movie and relaxed. Dinner came later that afternoon with some great friends and yummy food. We played games around their table and laughed together. Really, a great day.

New Year's Eve was spent with some more great friends and their 3 kids. We made it to midnight, talking, laughing and munching on goodies.

Marissa enjoying her new blanket watching a movie on New Year's Eve

The family

I'm thankful for the blessing of family and friends. We are praying for a year of growth, challenge and following hard after what God has called us to.

Upcoming this week:: my word for 2011...

Q & A for the Giveaway

These questions are on SarahLynn's blog for the GIVEAWAY. Have you entered yet? I sure hope so. Well, here's my answers and in the midst of reading them, you may just learn a little bit about me. :)

1. What are your first four favorite colors? green, blue, brown and orange

2. If you could go anywhere where would you go? does back to bed count??

3. iPod or mp3? I don't have either...maybe you could give one of those away next year!

4. Cake or ice cream? BOTH

5. Gum or chocolate?Chocolate

6. Write or read? Read

7. Simple or epic? both

8. If you could be anyone for a day who would it be? some days I feel like a circus leader...

9. Do you like blogs with pics or just words? both

10. Coffee or hot chocolate? hot chocolate

11. Fruits or vegetables? fruit

12. Books or magazines? books, although I like some magazines too

13. Favorite book? I don't have a favorite.

14. Favorite song? (or at least one of your favorite cd’s or something) Fernando Ortega's Hymns and Meditations CD

15. Do you like animals? yes

16. Are you casual or a total fashion freak? casual!

17. Cars or airplanes? cars

18. Video games or movies? movies

19. Are you quiet or a talker? I can be either to fit the need or occasion

20. Singer dancer or both? obviously you've never seen me dance! ha! I do like to sing, though.

A Blog GiveAway

I really enjoy reading these two blogs: samarah's sayings and just hangin' out by SarahLynn. I know both of these girls in 'real' life and they are VERY special to me!

Check out their blogs before November 29th in order to enter a terrific giveaway. They have teamed up together (how cute is that??). I'm entering and hoping to be a WINNER!

Lots of blog ideas...

I have so many blogging ideas running through my head and so little time to actually write them down! I suppose I'll have to be content with a catch-up list for now...

• thanks to the generosity of a friend, we were able purchase an upgraded computer. Our friend built it and sold it to us for a VERY reasonable price. It runs faster and better...except
• the first week we had it, a new virus attacked it. ;( Thankfully, after our friend returned from vacation, he fixed it!
  
• While preparing for my first ever overseas short term ministry trip, I have been busy getting shots, folding and stuffing prayer letters, and making lists of the necessary items. Added to that, I'm gathering the items for my part of the trip and praying for those I will be working with and for myself.
  
• Both of my sweet girls need some extent of vision therapy to correct problems with their eyes. This will entail 1 hr. 15 min. drives to a nearby city every two weeks for progress checks. We are thankful for God's direction in helping improve their ability to see and do their school work with more accuracy, and less frustration and fatigue.
  
• Our annual Kids Craft Sale with our homeschool group is fast approaching (second Thursday in December.) My main little crafter, Bethany, and I need to get a move on! In a future post, I'll reveal what we are doing this year. :)
  
• My goal (and hopefully not too lofty) is to write several posts, with pictures included, of the batches of preschool/kindergarten fun we have been having here! Our camera was not downloading to the computer for a LONG time. We've managed to fix that and now I have lots of pictures to post. :)
• In our Jr/Sr High girls Literature Club we recently read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. Amazing story and I'm thankful that a friend let me borrow several other Corrie books...Amazing Love, Each New Day, My Father's House and Prison Letters.
  
• The above family picture was lovingly taken by our friend, Erin at Lasting Snapshots. She is talented, funny and efficient!
  

I have been challenged and encouraged by reading Corrie ten Boom's books. So many quotes and nuggets to take away from her life. I'll end this post with such a quote:

"If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest."

Hello Again, long lost friend

I really want to be consistent about updating my blog. Going back and reading past entries is something I enjoy and I can't read past entries if I'm not writing any. However, in my attempt to balance my {life} computer time, homeschooling time, house work time, hunny time, family time, etc., blogging gets dropped off the bottom of the list.

With so many things to share, I thought I'd update in bullet points:

• A sweet homeschooling sister in Christ is now in Heaven after a two year battle with cancer. Visiting her and her endearing husband in the hospital was a privilege from God Himself. We picked up her parents, as they were here from another state and didn't know the area very well. They have been in the states for over 20 years, but don't speak English very well. God blessed our time with them. Singing hymns around my friend's bed, her mother singing in her native language, her father humming a harmony line, her husband singing yet another harmony line and me singing the melody--was nothing short of holy. I don't say that lightly, it was truly a time of worship I will never forget. Three hours later, she was face to face with her Savior. V, you are loved and you are missed; see you soon.
  
• Our pastor is teaching on the armor of God (Ephesians 6) and I've been so challenged and encouraged. I've also been aware of how the enemy tries to trip me up and how God wants me to cling to Him wearing my armor.
  
• In an attempt to help our oldest daughter with some health issues she's been having for the past 2 years, her and I are eating gluten free. Really, this is a whole other post, but for now let me tell you that even though all the symptoms are not gone, we both are feeling somewhat better.
  
• My little guy declared that he is done with school; it's just not for him. Hmm, he's got a long way to go before he's really done. I've had many 'hair pulling out, head banging against the wall' days lately. I continue to persevere and pray with him and for him that he will submit to our authority (which really seems to be the underlying issue.)
  
• I am preparing to go on a two week trip to Indonesia in January. {Insert a minute of "freak-out!"} I can't believe it's now only 3 months away and I have a LOT to do before then...not to mention my longest airline flight to date is 1 hour and 15 minutes. I'm nervously excited to see what God is going to do in and through my life because of this trip. And really it is a family adventure. We have all been studying the country of Indonesia--the people, the culture, etc. and we have been praying for the people, the conference I will helping with and for all the details.
  
• Two weeks ago, I spoke with a dear friend (chat through Facebook.) It's been a long time since we've chatted other than just a comment here or there. What refreshment, what encouragement!
  
• God continues to impress on my heart some heavy issues--a friend's marriage that is breaking apart, another friend separated from his wife, a friend who is struggling to grasp God's unconditional love and forgiveness for sins and of course, my children, our homeschooling days, etc.
  
• I'm thankful for our God who hears and sees and Who is caring and loving. In our "morning work" this week, we sang "Deep and Wide" and I talked to the kids about God's love--His love is "deep and wide." Amazing.
  

So, V--I'm looking forward to the day when I can say "Hello" to you, L--thank you for the Facebook chat, and God--thank YOU for being sovereign over all of the bullet points of my life!

The Love of Friends

A little over 30 years ago, my Dad and Step mom met a couple who introduced them to the Lord. I woke up thinking about them. I just "found" their son on facebook--I can't explain the feeling I had when we became Facebook friends! I've thought of them SO often over the years. They truly have never been far from my mind and heart. The husband, Tom has been with the Lord for years now. I remember his smile, his somewhat unruly beard, but most of all I remember his heart. He loved the Lord and I can still picture him bent over his Bible underlining Scripture that spoke to him. He and his wife had two kids--a girl and a boy. We had SO much fun playing with them when we were growing up. And they had a German Shepherd named Shadow.

I honestly don't know how my parents met them, but I'm so thankful God, in His sovereignty, saw fit to bring our two families together. I came to know the Lord because of this family sharing with my parents and then my parents taking us to church. I was 9 years old when I asked Jesus into my heart--and it was on Tom's daughter's birthday...July 6th.

As I've experienced friendships over the years, I realize that people enter your life, stay for the God allotted time, then leave, or stay (according to God's perfect plan). Even though I had lost touch with this family, they've remained dear to my heart. I'm eternally grateful for their friendship and influence on my parents and our family. I suppose we don't know what God is going to do with our efforts to love others like He does, except that whatever it is, it will be to His glory.

So, "R" Family--thanks for sharing Christ with us so many years ago. {I look forward to the day when either God calls me home or He returns and I get to hug the man God used to bring me to Himself.}

May I be faithful to love Christ and share Him with others He brings into my path.

Friday Feast

The days pass quickly and I am really trying to limit my time on the computer. Combine those two things together and the blog is neglected. I have much to share today, therefore the title "Friday Feast."

First, as I type this I'm listening to a play list of one of the bloggers that I follow. Make sure you visit Heather at A Place of Quiet Rest. Her music choices are wonderful.

May was a busy month for us as the kids finished up AWANA for this year. My little guy will move up to Sparks (I won't have any more Cubbies, sniff, sniff.) And my 8 year old will move up to T&T next year.

Bethany participated in the History/Science/Art Fair that our local homeschool group hosted. Her project was owls and she did a great job!

Here in the second picture you can see her "Kaya" bag. She made this from a kit supplied by my friend who has taught her daughter and Bethany in "American Girl Club." They read the entire series of Felicity and Kaya books throughout the year, discussed them and did activities pertaining to the books/and time periods. She enjoyed it greatly.

My little guy participated in a soccer camp of sorts, an hour each Saturday in April and May. He had a fun time! The last day was this past Saturday and they asked the parents to play for the final 15 minutes. T was so excited!! He looked over at me and said, "Mom, when the other team kicks the ball, you've got to run like the wind!" =) So cute!! (My oldest daughter edited this photo.)

This evening we will honor a good friend of ours who is now in the presence of Jesus. He had a love of all things garden and I'm thankful to have learned at his side. He loved talking about his plants, canned jars all neatly lined up on the shelves, and techniques that he had perfected over the years. I'm praying for his dear wife of 59 years and his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and all who knew and loved him. He will be missed. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Lastly I want to share with you a feast of different sort. In three different ways, God has reminded me this morning of His sovereignty and faithfulness. I pray you will be encouraged and refreshed as you look at these links.

A short, 2 minute video entitled Why is there suffering if God is good?
Today's Our Daily Bread devotion called, Our Times--His Hands.My last God reminder is JJ Heller's song "Your Hands."



How is that for a feast? Thank you God!

I'm linking this post to Home Sanctuary's Company Coffee Girls. You probably know by now that I don't drink coffee, however I love tea. So grab a cup of your favorite tea and visit other friends. Thanks for visiting me and have a lovely day! (note: the picture of the rose at the top of the post was taken and edited by my oldest daughter.)

Retreat and Then Some

I've missed posting to Company Girls for the last couple weeks, so I'm glad to be able to do it today...one day late...but still, here I am. I've enjoyed reading and trying to accomplish Rachel Anne's Small Things. March was my first full month and I'm looking forward to keeping up even more this month.

I so enjoy company and love to meet new friends. In addition, spring seems to be here, really here! Seeing the sun shine and feeling the warm it gives, digging in the dirt and planting and most of all, hearing my children laugh and play outside have ALL helped lighten my heart. God is good and gives us incredible blessings. Open my heart and eyes, God, to what You want me to see and do. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you visit again! To my regular reading friends, thanks for coming back to check on me after longs days of not posting. You encourage me!

Two weekends ago I was blessed by being able to attend a women's retreat. Sponsored by our women's Sunday school class, the retreat was held at a state park lodge. The scenery including a big lake was beautiful and so relaxing. The theme of the retreat was The A.R.T. of Fellowship. Our sessions, games, and decorations centered around Abiding in Christ, Relationships with others, and using our Talents to glorify God, build up the body of Christ and be a light to the rest of the world. We each received a little 3x3 canvas to paint something to remind us of the weekend. This sweet little girl was on the promotion material for the retreat and I wanted her on my canvas! I talked a friend into pencil drawing her on my canvas (which is why she actually resembles the little girl) and then I painted her. She sits on my kitchen counter and is a visible reminder of The A.R.T. of Fellowship.

This week the kids and I spent each morning reading Scripture leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus. I am deeply humbled and grateful for the amazing grace and mercy given to me. The blood of Jesus shed for me...I thank God for the faith and heart to even try to take in this life-changing event. I pray that you will set aside time this weekend (and every day) to spend with Jesus, our Savior and our Lord.

A friend posting this on her facebook and it was really good...I'd never heard it before...



Lastly, I found this Resurrection Garden idea and I REALLY want to do this next year with the kids.

Thanks for visiting with me today.

He is Risen!
He is Risen indeed!

The week God planned

I'm thankful for online friends and Company Girls has been a delightful place to get to know other women who are seeking to make their home a sanctuary. Rachel Anne has encouraging posts each day to help you do a 'small thing' (and boy those small things really add up to be big!) Today I'm thankful that you have come to visit because my house guest just left a few hours ago (sniff, sniff). She really enjoyed making and drinking peach tea while she was here. So pour yourself a glass and read about the week that God planned. Thank you for being here.
...and come back soon....

A week that God plans is far better than anything I could plan! I know you can relate: the week that I thought we were going to have was promptly (and providentially) turned upside down when a friend called last Saturday. She lives a few hours away and needed to have some time away from her home to think over some important things.

Of course, we said "you are welcome here, please come." She did and let me tell you the wonderful week we had. She had lots of time to think, read and pray. And we had time to enjoy her company. She is a gracious, sweet friend who loves my children and can make a walking stick laugh. :)

I've been studying the "One Anothers" in Scripture. Here are just a few of them:

• Comfort one another. I Thessalonians 4:18
• Build one another up Romans 15:2 "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." I Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."
• Bear one another's burdens Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
• Care for one another. I Corinthians 12:25 "that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another."
• Show hospitality to one another. I Peter 4:9 "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."

My friend that was here this week was a joy to have. My hunny and I spent the evenings talking with her and helping her work through things. And each morning, my sweet 4 year old, pounded on her door and excitedly said, "Good Morning!" Each one of my 3 kids enjoyed time with her playing games, painting nails and reading books. My prayer for her and her family is that God would redeem the time she was away, grow her into the person HE wants her to be and give her the grace and mercy she needs to live every day for Him.

{sigh} I miss her already.

Welcome

I enjoy having company, truly I do. Last Thursday, I hosted a delightful afternoon of tea and poetry. My dear friend, Lora came over with her linens, china and loose leaf tea. She graced our home with beauty and laughter. The Junior High literature club (8 girls) plus a teen girl that I'm getting to know came with their own doses of healthy laughter and copies of poems old and new. Lora showed the girls how to serve loose leaf tea and we all tasted the herbal goodness. (Okay, to be fair, some opted for hot cocoa, but only after they all had a taste of tea!) Our fellowship was grand as we shared poems, drank tea and nibbled on yummy treats.

God used this time of refreshment and encouragement to sustain me through the next few hours and days as I walked through some difficult circumstances. He is so faithful.

Recently I joined a blog called Home Sanctuary (I mentioned it here.) Who doesn't want to visit a place called "Home Sanctuary"...what am I saying, not just visit but I want my home to be a sanctuary. A sanctuary to learn about and worship the Lord, to love and grow with my hunny and children and to welcome all those who come through the door.

I desire those same things for my blog. So, thank you so much for coming to visit, I have some water in the kettle for tea, please sit a while and talk.


(I love this picture my daughter took of herself. I just had to include it!)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sweeties

I am making these scrumptious sweeties for Thanksgiving dinner. You remember them, don't you? I originally posted the recipe on December 8, 2007. :) It may be that long since I've made them. They are so good...I've got to space out the calories!

We are sharing Thanksgiving dinner with some dear, dear friends. Formerly, we went to church together; since then the Lord has taken us in different directions (location wise). Our hearts are knitted together though and we are so looking forward to spending time with them.

Do you love chocolate and peanut butter? Then you are in for a treat with these sweeties!
Plan ahead because they need to chill.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sweeties
1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. butter
3 c. confectioners sugar
5 dozen pretzel twists
1 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
1 T. vegetable oil

Beat peanut butter and butter together. Mix in sugar until well combined. Shape into 1-inch balls. Press onto pretzels. Place on wax papered baking sheet. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

In heavy pan, melt chips and oil. Dip peanut butter ball into the chocolate while holding onto the pretzel. Place back onto baking sheet. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Makes 5 dozen.

Oh, so yummy!

Harvest Fruit Bars

These bars are delicious! I haven't made them in several years, however every fall I think of them. My good friend Julie gave me the recipe for these bars, in fact the recipe card is in her handwriting. I can't help but get a little teary eyed making them. They were a hit at a get together we had yesterday. We got together with Julie's husband and 3 kids along with Julie's sister and parents. Julie's sister owns a tumbling gym and she invited us all for an afternoon of jumping, running and eating! We all had a great time.

Make up a batch of these for any fall get together.
Harvest Fruit Bars

6 oz. or more diced dried fruit (ie cranberries, pineapple, raisins, apple, coconut, etc.)
1 cup chopped or mashed bananas (about 2)
2/3 cup orange juice
1 tsp. cinnamon or apple pie spice (more needed at bottom of recipe)
3/4 c. butter, softened (original 1 cup)
1/2 c. brown sugar (original 1 cup)
1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. quick oats, uncooked
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Set aside stirring occasionally.
In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Add flour, oats and 1/2 t. cinnamon. Mix until crumbly.
Reserve 3/4 cup of oat mixture for topping.
Press remaining oat mixture onto bottom of 13x9 baking pan.
Bake 15 minutes.
Spread fruit evenly over crust. Sprinkle reserved oat mixture and nuts evenly over fruit.
Bake 16-20 more minutes. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

It makes me smile when I read Julie's recipe cards. She liked to cut down on fats and sugars whenever possible. So this recipe has several reductions with the original amounts in parenthesis. I've used the reduced amounts with fantastic results.

Enjoy!

p.s. ever since I changed the background to my blog, my links within my posts are not showing up the color they are supposed to. I've tried to fix this and can't seem to figure out how. If you know how to fix it, feel free to contact me or leave it in the comments. For now, when you mouse over the text that is linked it will show up another color.

Busy Summer Days

I've been absent from blogging--mostly having busy summer days, but also little bit of 'writer's block'. I have things I want to say but can't quite get the words formed and typed.

Here's a brief run-down of our summer since I last posted:

Marissa had a friend here for a week from Michigan--it was a great week of reconnecting between long time friends. I loved to hear their giggling and chatting. I made this welcome basket for Sarah. I'd talked about this basket here in this post...and I love the outcome.


My cousin and his wife visited for a few days. Before they came, we prayed that we would be good hosts and that we would have good conversation. God answered our prayers and our visit was delightful.

We celebrated two birthdays~mine and Trenton's. Good family times.

I've been reading some books from our church library:
The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancy
Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments by Kara Durbin

And one I purchased:
That's My Son: How Moms can Influence Boys to Become Men of Character by Rick Johnson

All three good books that I hope to comment on in upcoming posts.

I'm also trying to prepare for this upcoming school year for the girls and trying to come up with creative ideas for the 4 year old boy. :)

I mentioned my friend Kristin in a previous post, please pray for her and her family as they go through the loss of sweet Joanna Claire.

Lastly, I've had something for the last 3 days that I think might have been food poisoning. I'm not for sure, but I've been in pain and haven't felt well. I hope I'm getting over it and just slowly recovering.

My Girl is Seven!

My baby girl turned 7 yesterday. We had a wonderful time celebrating her birthday. We aren't huge birthday party people, so we enjoyed ourselves with one other family. We went to a favorite local restaurant and had dinner and ice cream. The place we went to has animals that you can pet as well as a little play ground area. The kids had so much fun running around. I'm thankful for the simple things that bring us joy:

• baby goats

• eating ice cream

• opening hand made gifts

• hugs from our children

• laughing with friends

Baby Kate a.k.a. crocheted doll

I've been working on "Baby Kate" for two months. This is my first project like this, always before I've done blankets, dish cloths and the like. I felt a little bit like Gepetto as I watched her 'come to life'. I found the pattern in The Big Book of Weekend Crochet by Hilary Mackin and Sue Whiting. I'm not sure where the "weekend" part comes in, maybe I'm just slow. It was a very rewarding project though.

She kind of looks like a football player here...sorry, but I wanted you to see the cute little button.

The name "Kate" comes from our sweet friend, Sarah Katharine, who died two weeks ago today. Baby Kate will soon belong to our neighbor's little girl, Alea. I babysit her a couple days a month and have done so since she was about 10 weeks old. Alea loves all items crochet. She loves to put her little fingers in the holes and she sleeps with two such items, lovingly called "binks". She turned two the first week of March, however Baby Kate didn't have a dress yet. After a day and a half of sitting on the couch with my sick little girl, Kate's dress is finished. Alea is going to love her. :)

The Comforts of Friendship

Comfort

The roads we sometimes travel
Often have uncertain ends
But beneath the dust and gravel
We find comfort in our friends
For just like a torch to shoulder
Their hearts guide us on a trail
Where the sunlight is much bolder
And our spirit can prevail.

Like a rainbow, ‘cross the valley
On an early springtime day
Friends allow our souls to rally
From the saddened shades of gray
Their comfort lasts for the duration
Through each reassuring glance
And provides a warm sensation
Regardless of the circumstance.

As we journey down life's freeway
Often rocky, rough and steep
And find choices we must survey
For the good or bad they reap
We shall find comfort forever
Resting in the seat beside
For our friends shall leave us, never
On this blessed, earthen ride.

© 2005 - Jill Eisnaugle's Poetry Collection

Christmas Tradition

This evening, our family enjoyed the sights and sounds of Christmas in a quaint nearby village. We invited along some friends, bundled up in several layers and strolled up and down the sidewalks eating cookies and laughing. It's a tradition we enjoy each year and this year was no different.

Coming home, my Hunny put in a CD, got the little ones bathed and in jammies. The house is quiet and I'm listening to the CD Conversations by Sara Groves. Really a thought-provoking CD with so many good songs. We've had two opportunities to meet Sara Groves--she is so personable and kind hearted.

The song that has spoken to me tonight is Going Home.

I’ve been feeling kind of restless
I’ve been feeling out of place
I can hear a distant singing
A song that I can’t write
And it echoes of what I’m always trying to say

There’s a feeling I can’t capture
It’s always just a prayer away
I want to know the ending
Things hoped for but not seen
But I guess that’s the point of hoping anyway

Of going home, I’ll meet you at the table
Going home, I’ll meet you in the air
And you are never too young to think about it
Oh, I cannot wait to be home

I’m confined by my senses
To really know what you are like
You are more than I can fathom
And more than I can guess
And more than I can see with you in sight

But I have felt you with my spirit
I have felt you fill this room
And this is just an invitation
Just a sample of the whole
And I cannot wait to be going home

Going home, I’ll meet you at the table
Going home, I’ll meet you in the air
And you are never too young to think about it
Oh, I cannot wait to be going, to be going home

Face to face, how can it be
Face to face, how can it be
Face to face, how can it be

Cuz this is just an invitation
Just a sample of the whole
And I cannot wait to be going home