While we are on the subject:

Some hats I made for the boys this Christmas.

(What can I say? I am BEHIND on blogging.)

The Gift

I am a writer.

Words have power over me and freeing them from my fingertips is liberating and calming and emotional and powerful. For years I have been scribbling out words from fingertips into this cyber journal and in doing so pouring forth a glorious life lived. Dreams are for the taking, accomplishments for the admiring, anecdotes for the brightening and truths for the strengthening, all mixed about with love and joy and photos.

Because I don't want to forget. And I don't want my children to forget.

For more than a year, unbeknownst to me, my love was gathering these snippets of heart into a surprise of the most monumental proportions. Love wrapped in brown paper packages.

A book of my words. And yet, His. A book of remembrances, ours.

Sandwiched between ink and paper was gratitude. And adoration. And reassurance. And romance. And ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

And the tears flowed.

He sees me!

He sees what I strive to do, he translates what it means.

He NOTICES the unnoticeable .... and acknowledges the HARD work that I do.

Every. single. day.

He sends me a lovenote that says I appreciate you and all you do. The most beautiful love note I will ever get, could ever get.

He tells me, "I know you. I know who you are. Where you came from. What you love. We are one."

In the photos he has chosen, he assures me of his adoration. And yes, he DOES think I am beautiful after all. Even after 8 years, and eye wrinkles and darkening hair and widened hips and skin stretched around four children and coming home to the same woman every night and being
SATISFIED.

He relishes in our life together and shares in the memories. We laugh. We cry.

We wonder at the beauty of it all.

Devotion.

It is the most beautiful word in the world.

And the assurance of it is the greatest gift I can ever imagine.

The Bed Turned Bench, a repost with photos

It was raining. Dreary day become more so.

The worship service was over. Bellies filled from feasting on Body and Blood. Voices warmed with songs sung. Sunday school finished. A weeks' worth of catching up, done...until next week. The hour long drive home, driven. And the day more than half spent. What to do with the rest of a day, set apart?

Most Sabbath afternoons I enjoy writing letters (the real kind, mind you) and sending cards to those whose lives might need a bit of brightening (there are plenty.)

Most Sabbath afternoons, we sit around the table together reading the paper and playing games. (Bananagrams, anyone? UNO, perhaps?) and then eat leftover pizza from Friday night because it is nearly time for dinner when we get home from church.

But this Sabbath, it was a different sort of day. There were plenty of letters to write, but they weren't calling to me. There was no leftover pizza from Friday.

Instead, boys went out together into the gray dampness to work on a long-time-coming surprise for Mama. Big hands creating big things like a board seat, little hands creating little things like branch swords and walking sticks . Side by side, two sets of hands taking after Creator by creating themselves.

Inside, Mama decides to spend her sabbath afternoon in the kitchen. Meatloaf sounds divine, with the "special sauce" baked on top (with a bowl for the table too). In the fridge was thawed ground beef, saved just for that purpose. Haven't had ground beef in what seems like (and probably is) months. There are dishes to do from yesterday. Meatloaf isn't meatloaf without mashed potatoes. Artisan bread, baked yesterday, sitting on the counter calls "I would taste good with supper too!" It could be warmed in the oven easily enough. And brussel sprouts....oh my-it has been ages since I tasted brussel sprouts, sprinkled with vinegar (naturally!). Green beans, too, needed to be steamed since brussel sprouts and husbands don't mix.

As my eyes scoured the kitchen, my girl knows invariably whatever is brewing in my mind will be brewing on the stove soon enough and par for course, wants in on the action.

"Can I help, Mama?" She doesn't even know what I am planning, she just wants to be there.

"I'll be making meatloaf. I think six is about time to learn how to make meatloaf. Don't you?" I wink.

"And with meatloaf, you simply MUST have creamy mashed potatoes." I say. She smiles.

"And we MUST wear aprons!" says she.

I get out the meat, plop it in a bowl and begin pouring in the ingredients. Two eggs. An onion, cut up. Mustard. Ketchup. Garlic. Lemon juice. We crush crackers over top of it all---but first we each eat one ourselves. The baby gets one too. A smidge of BBQ sauce, like the cherry on top. And then, I dig my hands in and squish. I wait for the inevitable. I know what was coming...because the scene has played out in my life the very same way, with a different cast of characters.

"Can *I* do that?!?! I think that would be SO fun! I LIKE squishy, icky things!" I hear my own voice in my girls' and remember a time when I loved nothing better than squishing ground meat, slimy eggs and hard crumbs through my fingers in my own mothers' kitchen.

We shape the loaf and plop it into an already warmed oven. She asks to peel potatoes. She loves peeling carrots, but has never done potatoes before. I show her "the method" and get to washing those dishes so I have more room to breathe. I start humming. I hear her begin to hum along. Humming turns to singing and before long we have belted out, a capella, all of Psalm 98 (three times) and chanted Psalm 84. Her voice, singing loudly with mine, is music to my ears. And His.

The big vat of waiting potatoes are only down four and already, she tires of peeling. I understand. Peeling potatoes isn't quite as fun as carrots.

I begin to peel but there she stands, waiting... It is clear again that it is not really the peeling that she wanted, but the moments with Mother being grownup. "Can I CUT the potatoes?" So I give her a sharp knife (which isn't very sharp because all our knives are insanely dull right now) and she cuts away while I peel. She thinks the knife is incredibly sharp and puffs up with pride at using such a grown-up tool.

We chat. But mostly, we work. Side by side. In the company of the other.

We make mashed potatoes. We make meatloaf. We make vegetables. We make eggnog pudding. I teach her to make the super-secret special meatloaf sauce and she feels she has been told the best secret in the world. She sets the table. I pour the drinks. We warm the bread and I slice it.

I am surprised by how much she is able to do, when given the chance. I am surprised by how old she has become, in a blink. I am surprised by how dearly she loves me, and I, her. I am surprised by how much love can be swapped peeling potatoes.

Just then, a man comes in, my one and only. "Mama, come see." So girl and I gather coats and shoes and head to garage to see the surprise... He takes my hand and leads me, blinded, through tools and wood shavings until he says "STOP. OK."

I look and there it is~ an idea I had made real...made BETTER by his own hands. It is better than I had envisioned, more regal than I thought possible. We picked the bed off the side of the road in desperation to get Panda out of crib...only to find the size bed would not accommodate a traditional mattress. It was then that I suggested we use the headboard and foot-board to make a bench. That day long ago, I didn't think it would be quite so lovely or that it would have a secret cubby.

It needs only a week of good weather for a new paint job and it will be ready!

It was a good surprise. And when we all came in, we had a good meal.

The day was filled with love, from morning 'til night....and I can't imagine a better way to spend a Sabbath.

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(( Reposted from the archives to add photographs. I promised them "one day" and "one day" took forever. Partly because PAINTING took forever. Then adding pillows took forever. ))

Bed from the side of the road started out like this: (the left bed)


But the awkward size didn't fit any mattresses, so I asked Matt to build a bench out of it using the headboard as the backboard. The finished product exceeded my wildest dreams and even includes a secret storage seat. He is a clever man, he is.


And now we sit like kings and queens.

Hello Foto Friday!

Wow. Gotta get into the swing of {Foto Friday} things again.... it was noon and it suddenly occurred to me that I need to get a McLinky up and running sooner rather than later because this Friday Foto thing is (HOPEFULLY) not just for me.

All this to say: sorry it took so long for me to get this up. I'll get better once I get used to the idea of it all again.

Picking my Favorite Photo of the Week wasn't all that hard since I think I picked up the camera...once. (Very unlike me.)

My brother gave this gorgeous orchid to me on New Years Eve.

I love Orchids.

'nuff said.

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What is YOUR Favorite of the Week?

The idea behind Foto Friday is to share a favorite photo that was taken the week prior. My hope is that it encourages us all to get behind the camera more often, to seek beauty out and new perspectives, and that it forces us to challenge ourselves and our photo-taking skills to soar to new heights all the while, having crazy fun.

Though a theme/challenge is not a requirement for sharing a photo, I will give a challenge SUGGESTION every week for those that want to push the envelope in their photography. I can not promise I will follow through with the suggestions myself, but I will be trying them on occasion. :-) Feel free to use the suggested challenge or create a challenge of your own, and if the mere act of picking up the camera is challenge enough-feel free just to post your favorite photograph of the week!

Please put the specific blog link in the Mclinky when sharing photos, and if you would~ add the Foto Friday button (on sidebar) to your post. The more that participate, the merrier.

Have FUN!!!

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For those so inclined, a good challenge for this coming week is SPOTS.

Parenting is a SNAP

Otherwise Entitled: TOO MANY BABIES. (the doll kind, of course)


My Adele' already seems to know the five rules to being a good parent:

#1: Give them lots of love


#2: Feed them all the time (though her method seems a bit skewed)


#3: Check in on them every now and again


#4: Make them laugh

and MOST importantly of all:

#5: It's easier to keep tabs on them when you keep 'em all together.


Disclaimer: Yes. We own too many baby dolls. I won't even tell you of the three AG knockoffs we have because that will just tip us on over to EXTREME insanity. Six dolls. Two girls. Ridiculous.

Man Sweater to Baby Suit (Mini Tute)

When I brought out our winter clothing, I went on a purging binge because I am sick of unpacking winter things that we don't wear, then packing them back up just so we don't wear them next year either. Most things made it to Salvation Army, a few things made it into my craft room to be repurposed. (So I guess I wasn't on a total purge binge...)


One of the things that made it to my craft room was a V-neck sweater that was rarely worn by Matt. I tend to shy away from childrens' clothes that have corny characters on them and that really lessens the selection of baby clothes for boys. Because the sweater was super thin and super SUPER soft....I couldn't resist giving it to Judah baby for a new, character-free ensemble.

Made of dark green and paired with lighter olive green buttons, it has a militaryish feel, which I really like in this instance.

(Yes. My four month old could eat my 2 year old for a snack. What of it?!?!)

Begin by laying out the sweater and putting a baby outfit on top that you would like to replicate. If you don't have a one piece suit, you could use a tank and pants set.


Making sure the neck lines up with the v-neck and the leg hem matches up with the bottom cuff of the sweater (you won't need to hem these pieces then) cut around it leaving 1/4-1/2 inch seam allowance on sides and leg inseams. (**Notice: The v-neck/arms were cut so front pieces were SHORT and back pieces were long, giving the arm straps an overall feel.**)


With right sides together, sew up both side seams.


Sew bias tape along the inseams on both front and back leg pieces and along arm straps and underarm, which *should* be all the raw edges (Notice leg cuffs and v-neck are nicely handy now, eh?)


Add buttons to the front panel arm pieces (I used two on each arm) and make buttonholes on the back arm pieces.


Apply snaps to tape on leg inseams. (OR- you can use SNAPTAPE which looks awful handy, but I have never actually used before.)

TA-DA. Sweet little boy outfit for not-a-cent spent.

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The NEW Foto Friday

When I stopped Foto Friday last fall, it was a much necessary sanity saver. But many of you were disappointed, and even I found that I missed it. There have been lots of requests/interest/hope for me to start it back up again but I just wasn't sure if I was ready to take the plunge of a weekly commitment like that again.

Being challenged each week can be....well, a challenge.

Then I stumbled across a Flickr pool called P52 where you post a favorite photo of the week each week. But I am just a little fish in that great big ocean, and personally, I like the feedback. That got my braincells swimming and I thought "duh! Why not do THAT for Foto Friday?!?"

So I am thinking, each Friday here on Renaissance I am going to post my favorite photo taken that particular week. If I feel the need to challenge myself to new heights, then by golly, I will. But if I don't have the time for a proper challenge, I won't have to stress myself out over it. (or feel guilty....)

Because I am all about less stress.

And since I am ridiculously pathetic about printing my photos, I am thinking a good (doable) commitment (for me) is to print that favorite photo each week (just one!) and at the end of the year I will be able to collage them into this one awesome 2011 remembrance board. Sorta like this:

photo source

So-if you are up for it you can join me. Challenge yourself and your creativity, or just get yourself behind that camera.
I'll start the Foto Friday linky back up NEXT Friday, for those interested in participating.

Get your cameras ready!!!

If you would like to use the Foto Friday button on your blog, simply copy and paste the code below directly into your blog post or sidebar.

<a border="0" href="http://zeahrenaissance.blogspot.com/search?q=Foto+Challenges" target="_blank"><img alt="Foto Friday Challenge" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4t0SG8DlhOpjlkyAVabWtbWIbOoAl2YMpzDP7tL7ysu96UjGfcANtNFGdP4wMyerLwnPgyQ9wJuI2MV47ivlSC2WimlYq0G_ojGfcbljyQIrLNlYzh7QlFRXQ4J-hILb50QHa/s200/IMG_2488.JPG" /></a>

Bits and Bobbles

So much to blog, so little time. Here is a bullet post, getting me not-quite-but-still-closer-to up to date.

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* I got the worlds BEST Christmas present this year. I'll be showing it to ya but it deserves a post all its own. *sigh*

* I am having a very hard time getting back on board with schooling. Methinks I need to revise my plans a bit or just....get serious about it all again.

* This "little" guy just upgraded to 12-18 month clothes and could really use a diaper upgrade too, but that would put him in size 4 diapers-just one smaller than Adele' is in and I can't seem to bring myself to do it. He just turned four months old....like, four days ago. Kill me now.


* It has been a cold winter but not snowy at all here. We haven't had a single snow that has covered the ground and lasted more than a few hours. This has been great since Matt is away so often and I (cough, cough) don't know how to run the tractor.

*Speaking of which~ Matt was out of town this week, but came home earlier than expected last night. Because he told me AHEAD of time instead of scaring the bajeebers out of me, I made him scalloped potatoes and ham, apples and onions, and green beans to welcome him home. Home cooking, it gets them every time.

* Poor kidlet is teething...


....and drooling....


....and teething some more.


And, oh yeah, trying to sit up...


Is it me or is he doing everything so much faster than he ought? Can't he stay (relatively) little for a while?!?! Sheesh.

* It might be because I don't fit into anything these days or it might be because I haven't sewn anything in a while, but I am getting an itch to make myself something to wear. Since every single attempt to make my own clothes have failed, I wonder...do I dare?!

* I haven't written a real letter in ages and my fingers are itching to do that too.

* I am *not* itching to look through the seed catalogs that have made their way to my doorstep. The after-Christmas winter months are the only slow(er) months I have, gotta enjoy them as much as I can.

*I made lunch the other day while the girls looked on and I thought it was so stinkin' cute how snuggled into one another they were. Love that.


* Watched Christmas Story on Netflix the other day (not to be confused with A Christmas Story, as I am likely one of the few (only?) people who actually dislike that movie...) and was inspired by all their clothing. It is set in Finland. Enough said. I now want to make myself a woolen cloak. And some for the girls too. *swoon* I wonder if they are actually warm?

* I *think* I have found a solution to the Foto Friday dilemma. Kinda excited about it. You'll be hearing about it soon, if anyone remembers Foto Friday??

*Also-have not forgotten about the 3rd installment of Ask Rebecca, though I am pretty sure everyone ELSE has. It is coming. This I promise.

* Anyone who thinks outdoor dogs have it rough don't know what they are talking about.


* Started Little House in the Big Woods as the family read aloud a week ago and am, again, surprised at how many times pioneers were in life-threatening situations. And were thankful for any food they got. Roasted pig tails anyone? ick.

*Right now, *I* am reading Letters the an American Lady by C.S.Lewis and All is Grace by C.H.Spurgeon. And a few sewing books. And the Pioneer Lady (not to be confused with the Woman) cookbooks. Investigating rabbit stew. (deep breathes...)

~And finally, I leave you with a few Andrew-isms:



The kids were eating lunch and debating over the best way to eat a sandwich. Andrew nibbles the entire outside first, Corynn eats it from the top down and Adele eats the insides out and the crusts last. Andrew, very convincingly says:

"It's better to eat the BARK first and the rest after that...."

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We were listening to Johnny Cash the other day (yes, we listen to Johnny Cash. Fiddler on the Roof. Sound of Music. and Johnny Cash. thankyouverymuch) when the song "Busted" came on. It is a sob story about a guy who hasn't got any money, food, etc. so Andrew pipes up from the backseat:

"Hey Mama! When I bought me pig yast year, den I wuz busted! You know why? Becuz mine cowbank was all empty! I was busted."

And okay.

His huge round eyes and cowboy drawl and seriousness as he spoke added to the hilarity. So maybe it isn't quite as funny typed out. Guess you had to be there.

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