I'm Doing You a Favor Because I Like You

Perhaps I live under a rock.  I sometimes wonder if I'm the last person to discover great books, toys, ideas, artists, and so on.  Some time ago, I rediscovered a great song and spent the season enjoying it.  It's a lovely, beautiful song called Winter Snow, simple and gorgeous with touching lyrics.  I grew fonder with each listen, so much so that I asked my husband for the artist's CD for Christmas. 

He listened, God bless him. 

Perhaps you live under a rock too.  If so, let me share a few lyrics with you from the CD my husband gave me for Christmas called The House You're Building (which is not a Christmas album and does not contain "Winter Snow") because you don't want to miss this. 

You live in a million places
Your fingerprints can be seen on a million faces
There is a trace of You in every hallelujah
Every song that I sing

For love of You
I'm a sky on fire
Because of You I come alive
And it's Your sacred heart within me beating
Your voice within me singing out
For love of You

You are the highway I travel
Cause I watched You carve streets of gold from the sand and gravel
I gave you brokenness
You gave me innocence
And now, this road leads to glory
For Love of You

And if that doesn't win you over, how about these words:

As the dew falls on the blade
You have touched all this fragile frame
And as a mother knows her baby's face
You know me
As the Summer air within my chest
I have breathed You deep down into my breast
And as You know the hairs upon my head
Every thought and every word I've said

Savior, You have known me as I am
Healer, You have known me as I was
As I will be
In the morning, in the evening
You have known me.
Known

If you haven't already, get to know Audrey Assad.  If you know her, share.

You're welcome.

Counting old and new gifts and those new-to-me #551- 575:

a husband who spoils me

new songs

Winter Snow

words

sledding with my family

silly boys

winter lambs

snowmen and the children who build them

a white Christmas

our annual Christmas Eve traditions, plus new memories

The Nativity Story

Snowmen Sundaes

shared communion and "Silent Night" by candlelight in a circle in the sanctuary

winter snow falling, quiet, soft and slow as we left the church

Christmas morning and day

and the next day

and the next (so much family!)

Cella's chocolate covered cherries in my stocking (yum!)

the blessing of being able to give well

the excitement on my sugars' faces because of what they're giving

their belief in the One who gives best

her request to sing "Jesus Loves Me"

her whisper in church days later, "Jesus loves me."

JOY!

a new year full of promise and mystery

I'm Doing You a Favor Because I Like You

Our Favorite Summer Things

"Summer time, and the livin' is easy."  Mmmm, summer time . . . I even love the song.  While I'm admittedly not a fan of extreme heat (and might even be heard complaining about it), there are many things about summer that I really do L-O-V-E. 

Today, I'm going to go out and enjoy a few of these things.  I hope you do too!

sandals

sundresses

strawberries

pink roses

popsicles

sparklers

fireflies

bronzer

weddings

waterproof mascara

little kids' pjs

fun in the pool

peonies

stargazer lilies

cool washcloths

mason jars

the beach

butterflies

tinted moisturizer

turquoise

cloud watching

star gazing

fresh food from the garden

picnics

county fairs

bare feet

It's Friendly Friday.  I ask; you answer.

What do you L-O-V-E about summer?

Tell me.  I really want to know!  Then get outta here and enjoy it!

Our Favorite Summer Things

My Favorite Follower

I have a little gadget on the side of my page that shows my followers.  Some of them are friends that I've known a long time.  Some of them are people I've "met" very recently.  I like meeting new people (and if you're new, I'm glad you're here).  It's fun -- and a little flattering -- to find in the morning when I come to my page that someone else wants to read these l'il ole thoughts of mine.  But I have to admit, I have a favorite follower.  And her picture doesn't appear in the sidebar.  And she isn't a fan on Facebook.

It's Baby Girl.  She's my favorite.  (I didn't think you'd mind.)  She's not nearly as flattering as all of you.  She doesn't leave kind comments or encouraging words.  She's very vocal about her thoughts, and they aren't always kind.  She's even picked up some of my habits and flaunts them in my face.

She follows me into the bathroom and dumps out my makeup while I try to get ready.  She follows me into the kitchen and pulls out the Tupperware as I cook.  She follows me into the family room and spills out the books so we can read together.  She follows me into the living room and climbs on my lap, with a pen in her mouth, as I type.  If I stay too long, she pulls at my hands and voices her displeasure at my lack of focus --on her.  She is an attention hog and is unabashed about showing it.  Her love for me is fierce and jealous.  How can she not be my favorite?

And this is what scares me and humbles me:  she follows me . . . and imitates me.  Father, have mercy on me and help me.  Because this I know right now:

    "In my daughter's eyes, I am a hero.
     I am strong and wise,
     And I know no fear.
     But the truth is plain to see:
     She was sent to rescue me,
     I see who I want to be, in my daughter's eyes.

     And when she wraps her hand around my finger,
     Oh, it puts a smile in my heart.
     Everything becomes a little clearer.
     I realize what life is all about.
     It's hanging on when your heart has had enough;
     It's giving more when you feel like giving up.
     I've seen the light: it's in my daughter's eyes. . .

     In my daughter's eyes, I can see the future.
     A reflection of who I am,
     And what will be.
     And though she'll grow and, some day, leave:
     Maybe raise a family,
     When I'm gone, I hope you'll see,
     How happy she made me,
     For I'll be there, in my daughter's eyes."
                                                   --from Martina McBride's "In My Daughter's Eyes"

I always hope that what I write encourages my followers and inspires them (you) to either laugh or love or live more deeply.  While I write for myself, it is my followers that inspire me to write better and more often.

And while I live for God, it is my favorite follower who inspires me to live better.  For it's in her beautiful eyes that I see myself -- and the reflection I want to see more and more is Christ, the One I follow.

My Favorite Follower

My Favorite SPRING Things (Friendly Friday)

Autumn is my absolute favorite season, but spring has the honor of being a very close second.  I've really enjoyed the warmer weather we've been experiencing and am thankful for all those other favorite things, such as

the smell of rain

baby ducks

baby chickens

baby sheep

(yep, all spring babies)

pink

sunrises

stripes

lilacs

colorful handbags

green

long walks

blossoming trees

short sleeves

fresh breezes

cut grass

cute flats

pretty kites

fun jewelry

clear glass jars

It's Friendly Friday.  I ask; you answer.

What are your favorite spring things?

My Favorite SPRING Things (Friendly Friday)

My Favorite WINTER Things

I love lists. I used to love winter. To remind myself why I (used to) love winter, I thought I'd combine my love of lists with my fading affection for winter in hopes that reminiscing will stir my heart to love again. . . .

warm socks fresh from the dryer

Burt’s Bees Lip Shine

red

paper snowflakes

really fat real snowflakes

scarves

sweaters

cinnamon toast

frost



oatmeal

jeans

leather coats

boots

fireplaces

indoor s’mores

good books

glitter

old movies

the Psalms

holidays

fuzzy blankets

snuggling on the couch

candles

Help my heart . . .what are your favorite winter things?

My Favorite WINTER Things

Favorite Picture Books

One of my obsessions is books. There aren’t many I don’t like, and I find myself recommending my favorites to friends. So I thought I’d make a few lists of my favorites. I’ll start with children’s picture books and work my way up over time.

The Monster at the End of this Book – Furry lovable old Grover just doesn’t get much better than this.

Moose Tracks by Karma Wilson – A hilarious and surprising rhyming book

Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer – a sweet and funny series, especially if you have a little boy.

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson – A fun read a-loud with pattern and rhyme and great sounds to explore. One to do over and over. There's more Bear books, but this is the best in my opinion.

My First Little House Books – The pictures are gorgeous and the excerpts from the Little House Series are timeless. A beautiful combination that’s great for younger ones not ready for the chapter books. Any and all of them are good.

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London – Too funny! My kids loved to read this one with me – before they could read. Great patterns and sounds they can remember.

Hug by Jez Alborough – An almost wordless picture book that tiny tots love to read along with you. Sweet pictures.

You Are My I Love You by Maryann K. Cusimano – Precious poetry, touching illustrations.

The Napping House by Audrey Wood – A delightful book with great pictures – and short enough for wigglers.

The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs – A parable with scripture included that’s perfect reading in the fall. I like the other three in the series too.

A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson – A funny, rousing read-aloud with some creative counting included. And a little gross too, which makes it perfect for boys.

Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory by Margaret and H.A. Rey – Perhaps my favorite in the series simply because it includes chocolate, but the books are classic for good reason. My second favorite is probably Curious George Goes Camping.

I Love You the Purplest by Barbara M. Joosse – If your child has ever asked who you love best or competes with his sibling for your attention, read this book. Touching.

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long – A young landlubber goes on an adventure with pirates. Best read good and loud in your finest pirate speak, matey!

Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton -- Hilarious rhyming book of animal sounds. My all-time favorite board book of hers.

(A few others pictured that I really like are Dinosailors, What Are You So Grumpy About? and The Day the Babies Crawled Away. All the books are linked to Amazon for your convenience.)

Feel free to share your favorites.
Happy Reading!

Favorite Picture Books

Middles

Wednesdays are under appreciated. The poor day gets the title "Over-the-Hump" day. It's the halfway mark of the week. . . ho, hum. But I kind of like Wednesdays. After all, if you've reached Wednesday, that means Monday is over, and most of us can really appreciate that. And Saturday, that beloved of all days, is just around the bend. I like Wednesdays, too, because generally it's a quieter day for my family, and after the hustle and bustle of Monday and Tuesday, I'm ready for the quiet. Plus, it was the day I was born on which naturally makes it a good day. But most of all, it's a middle.

I'm partial to middles, being one myself: the middle of the candy bar, the middle of vacation, the middle of a good book, the middle of a cup of coffee. If you're in the middle of a good thing, it means you still have some good left. The middle of the Bible is the Psalms, and that's one of my favorite books. And then there's my middle child, also born in the middle of the week.

He's in that same category of good things that I enjoy. He's usually in the middle of a project, which means he's in the middle of a big mess. But he's also in the middle of being helpful and in the middle of being funny. He keeps us in stitches with his silly jokes and goofy antics. He's the child who told me one of the branches of government was the License Plate Branch and told someone else that they were up until "forty-nine hundred hours." So on this middle day of the week, I'm just pausing in the middle of this blog to be thankful for, well . . . middles.

Middles