A Baby Dedication for Violet

     This story about gifts can be found in the “Streams in the Desert” devotional on January 7, but I thought that it would be appropriate for the dedication of baby Violet.
     A story is told of a king who went to his garden one morning, only to find everything withered and dying.  He asked the oak tree that stood near the gate what the trouble was. The oak said it was tired of life because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine tree. The pine was troubled because it could not bear grapes like the grapevine. The grapevine was determined to throw its life away because it could not stand erect and produce fruit as large as peaches. The geranium was fretting because it was not tall and fragrant like the lilac.
     And so it went throughout the garden. Yet coming to a violet, the king found it’s face as bright and happy as ever and said, “Well, Violet, I’m glad to find one brave little flower in the midst of this discouragement. You don’t seem to be the least disheartened.” The violet responded, “No, I’m not. I know I’m small, yet I thought if you wanted an oak or a pine or a peach tree or even a lilac, you would have planted one. Since I knew you wanted a violet, I’m determined to be the best little violet I can be.
     People who are God’s without reservation “have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”  God’s will becomes their will, and they desire to do for Him whatever He desires them to do. They strip themselves of everything, and in their nakedness find everything restored a hundredfold.
     A few months ago, baby Violet played the part of Jesus in the manger in our Night at Bethlehem Event.  Her tiny hands and feet represented the hands and feet of Jesus.  May that be said of her all the days of her life.  Violet, was created by God to be just who she is.  A daughter, a little sister, a granddaughter, and a child of the King.  May she always walk with Jesus and seek to do His will.

 
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. ~ Ephesians 2:10

What I Learned in March

    I don't think that I have been warm since September.  March has been a long and cold month.  We have had snow, snow, and then more snow.  The temperatures have been in the teens and single digits with a few days where it got above freezing.  Brrrrrr.
     On St. Patrick's Day, I celebrated the five year anniversary of my breast cancer surgery.  Five years ago while other people were going to parades, drinking green beer, and eating corned beef and cabbage with Irish soda bread I was praying for healing.  A routine yearly mammogram saved my life.  If you would like to read more about my cancer journey look here.

 
      Here is what I learned in March in no particular order.

1. It takes a l-o-n-g time for two feet of snow to melt.  Those lumps in the snow are the tops of our metal chairs around our fire pit.  There is still snow on the ground near them.
   
2.  I can take a picture of a Great Blue Heron if I don't scare him away by getting out of my car.  This heron practically posed for me.
   
3. "Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up."  Brene Brown,  Daring Greatly.   I recently read The Gifts of Imperfection and am listening to Daring Greatly by Brene Brown.   Both are inspiring books with so much to think about.  Dr. Brene  Brown is a researcher who studies vulnerability, shame, courage, and worthiness.  Brown's 2010 TEDxHouston talk, The Power of Vulnerability, is one of the top ten most viewed TED talks on TED.com.  Today it is listed as #3.

 

     In addition to Brown's books, I have also read:  

• Wild, (From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail) by Cheryl Strayed
• Unbroken:  A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand,  I loved this!  Book Review here.
• Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay,  Jane Austen lovers, this is for you.
• Irish Eyes, by Mary Kay Andrews
• Wrecked:  When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life, by Jeff Goins,  Wrecked is an inspiring book that will "wreck" your life.  A wonderful read. 
• Winners, by Danielle Steel

1. This is how Let It Go would sound if it were sung by Jack Sparrow, Mike Wazowski, Tigger, Goofy, and many other favorite characters.   Very fun.  (Not sure why this is numbered 1.  It is 4,  I guess I have to learn how to fix that in April!)

     Linking with Emily at Chatting at the Sky.  Stop by and see what others have learned!

Great Blue Heron

     There is a tiny pond not far from where we live.  When I drove by,  I was very excited to catch a glimpse of a blue heron.  I rushed home to grab my camera.  All of my previous attempts to capture them on film have gone awry.  See Exhibit A.

Exhibit A

     But this heron stayed absolutely still.  He never moved.  I have a million pictures of him just - like -this. 

   He stood like a great gray sentinel while the mallards splashed around him.  There was even a woodchuck swimming near him.

      How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?  I hadn't realized that woodchucks were such good swimmers.  This little fellow was enjoying the sunshine and the water.

      The pond is right below a huge parking lot.  The water is surprisingly clean.  I took an environmental class a few years ago and tested the water here for oils.  The water was clear and the ph,  neutral.  The wildlife sure do seem to appreciate it.  We have seen turtles and frogs on the banks, but none were visible this day.

      Mrs. Mallard standing on the ice.  Look at those orange feet.

      Mr. and Mrs. Mallard off for a swim.

      Bottoms up!

     He is so beautiful.  I hope that he stays for awhile so we can get used to each other.

Maple Pecan Muffins

     These muffins have a hint of maple sweetness and the crunch of pecans.  They are a favorite at our house.  Friends asked for the recipe when I brought them to a church brunch.

Maple Pecan Muffins

Ingredients:
     Dry:

• 1  3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 cup of chopped pecans

     Wet:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg

How to:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray muffin pan with a nonstick cooking spray or use cupcake liners.
3. In a small bowl combine the dry ingredients.
4. In a large mixing bowl beat the softened butter until smooth.  Stir in the maple syrup, sour cream, and the egg.
5. Add the dry ingredients.  Stir until combined.  Do not over mix.
6. Add batter to the prepared muffin pan.  This recipe makes 18 large muffins.
7. Bake for 16-18 minutes.
8. Enjoy!

The recipe also tastes wonderful as a savory muffin.  Just substitute 1 cup of cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage for the pecans.  

Oh, Riley!

 Our dog is an Australian Shepherd named Riley.  Aussies are known for their intelligence and herding abilities. Riley has longish hair and a short stubby tail.  She is smart and funny. Riley loves to run in circles rather like a furry boom-a-rang.

     Riley is a good dog.  She barks only when someone is in our driveway or at the door.  She knows how to find her way home.  She loves to be pet and listens with her ears perked up when we talk to her, as if she understands every word.  It doesn’t matter if we have been gone for ten days or ten minutes, Riley wags that stubby little tail in delight as soon as she sees us. 

   Riley is even pretty good with our cat, Luna.  Together, they have devised an ingenious door opening system.  When they want to enter a closed room, Riley pushes the door with her head until it swings open.  If they want to exit, Luna pulls the bottom of the door toward her.  Riley then nudges it the remainder of the way open.  Luna and Riley are great friends, as long as it isn’t meal time.  When we eat dinner, Riley assumes her spot under her master’s table and chases the cat from the room until scraps have been served.

     Riley loves our children, but her absolute favorite person is my husband.  Who can blame her?  Riley follows Pat around the house and can usually be found sleeping near or on his feet.

     Pat and Riley have been having a bit of a disagreement lately.  Pat has a grey bean bag thing that he rests his wrist on when he works at the computer.  It’s supposed to prevent carpal tunnel.  Riley insists on stealing the bean bag from his desk.  This happens every time Pat leaves the bean bag unattended. Pat tries to remember to pull the door firmly shut each time he leaves the office, but if it doesn’t quite catch, Riley uses her Houdini-like skills, opens the door, and snatches the bean bag.  She then leaves it on the floor in a fairly obvious place.     We know immediately that Riley has stolen the bean bag as soon as we see her, because she slinks over to Pat wagging her stubby tail and looking very guilty.  Clearly, she knows that she is not supposed to take the bean bag.  It doesn’t matter if she has taken the bean bag moments ago - like if Pat left the room to make tea, or hours before, like if we just came back from church.  Riley looks guilty and we know that she has stolen the bean bag.  Her apology would be more believable if she would leave the bean bag alone, but the next time it is left unguarded, Riley strikes again.  To her credit, she has not ripped the bean bag open.  She just takes it and leaves it someplace, undamaged, but slightly soggy.  This has been going on for a l-o-n-g time.  

     Pat decided that our dog was not going to continue to outsmart him.  So the other day, Pat changed the hinges on the office door so that the door swings shut automatically.  The hinges are just tight enough that the cat can’t help her, even if they should be in the room together.  Now when Riley goes in to the office to steal the bean bag, she cannot get back out again. To Pat’s great excitement, the trap has been sprung three times so far.

     Pat and I knew that this bit of silliness had to be shared with you, but as I kept asking him, what is the point?  What great scriptural premise can be learned from this story?  We talked about how we keep returning to some sins even when we know that they are wrong.  Like in Proverbs 26:11  “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.”  But who wants to hear that on a Sunday morning?  

     Then Pat suggested that guilt can eat a person up and make it difficult for them to approach a loving God.  He taking the role of God here to our dog.  Possibly.  But then I noted that it isn’t likely that God would have changed the hinges on the door to trap us.

     So there really isn’t much of a message here, except that God loves us and when needed, gently rebukes us.  He sets the lonely in families.  He gives us laughter and joy, and even victory.  

     There really is a scripture for every occasion.  This one seems to very loosely fit.

      Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
      To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, ...   ~Revelations 3:19-22

     Have you ever had to pit your strength of will and intelligence against a pet?

PS:  Thank you to Create With Joy who featured this post!

Day Trip: Harney and Sons Tea House

“What kind of tea do you want?"
"There´s more than one kind of tea?...What do you have?"
"Let´s see... Blueberry, Raspberry, Ginseng, Sleepytime, Green Tea, Green Tea with Lemon, Green Tea with Lemon and Honey, Liver Disaster, Ginger with Honey, Ginger Without Honey, Vanilla Almond, White Truffle Coconut, Chamomile, Blueberry Chamomile, Decaf Vanilla Walnut, Constant Comment and Earl Grey."
-"I.. Uh...What are you having?... Did you make some of those up?”
~ Bryan Lee O'Malley, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life

      We re-visited Harney's Tea House last week when our son, Brian was home.  It is a wonderful place.

      Pat was like a kid in a candy store.  He asked about so many different teas, that the very helpful and patient young lady who worked there had pulled down all of these different teas for him.  There were just as many teas out on the other counter, too.

      We left with four new teas and a few of our favorites.  Our bags held Paris, Soho, Peach Fruit "Tea", Tower of London, and Hot Cinnamon Spice.  Brian picked up three flavors to take home.   His choices were Malachi McCormick,  Hot Cinnamon Spice, and African Autumn.

     Now, we have tea for every occasion.  Heading home to brew!  

     What are your favorite teas?

Book Review: Unbroken

Source

     When I was in high school, I had a math teacher who had survived the attack at Pearl Harbor.  I remember him telling us about that awful day with tears streaming down his face.  He shared with us the sorrowful loss of friends, the terrible shock, and the overwhelming confusion.  As a self absorbed teen, I did not understand what a gift he gave us.  I could not imagine anything like that ever happening in my lifetime.  Now, of course, I can.
     The amazing story of the life of Louis Zamperini is expertly shared in the book Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand.   Zamperini was a boy with a knack for trouble.  He led a life of juvenile delinquency, frequently stealing anything that could be eaten.  He played elaborate pranks and was well known by the local police.
     Louis’ brother introduced him to running.  He could run like the wind.  Louis competed in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.  Incredibly, he met Hitler and stole a German flag off of the Reich Chancellery.
     When World War 2 began, Louis gave up preparing for the 1940 Olympics and enlisted in the Army Air Corp, becoming a bombardier.  On a May afternoon in 1943, Louis was on a routine search mission for a lost plane when his plane went down into the Pacific.  What happens over the next years, would require every skill that Louis has to survive.
     I read this incredible story with our library book club.  The members all agreed, and believe me that does not always happen, that Unbroken was wonderfully written, meticulously researched, and inspiring.  Unbroken draws you in and won’t let you go.
     It is soon to be released as a movie.
     Have you read Unbroken?


PS:  I did not receive payment to review Unbroken.  I purchased it on Amazon.  If you should click from my page to Amazon to purchase it, you will not pay more.  I might make a small amount through your purchase.