Hymn

When I was growing up, I was one of those who attended church once or maybe twice a year, and usually it was under duress. I wasn't raised with church a part of my life. I could recite the Lord's Prayer, say the Rosary, and a couple of lines from the Apostle's Creed. I recited them, never fully understanding the meanings of any of it. The music in church, to me, was the same - I could sing along with no clue of what I was singing. As I grew up, I left church altogether, attending only for weddings and funerals. I say I left it, but I never was really...there. As an adult, after my second child was born, I was invited to a contemporary, Christian, non-denominational church and began my new life as a Christian. My whole life changed, definitely for the better - for the greatest, best journey of my life.

This church that I have attended since 2002, being contemporary, presents music that is upbeat and joyful - meaningful songs you would hear on Christian radio stations. I never spent time in a traditional setting, singing hymns, learning them, hearing the words and understanding them. Occasionally, our incredibly talented band throws in a hymn, and when they do, while most folks around me are singing along without looking at the words on the projector, I am reading the words with fresh eyes, hearing the lyrics, new to my ears, mind and heart. Hymns are a new experience for me.

Sunday, we sang a song that I had heard before but never understood - I recognized the tune but never experienced......it is so hard to put this to words - it felt like I was washed clean - goosebumps covered my arms and legs, my heart felt like it was filled to the brim - with the love of my Savior, with love FOR my Savior. The song is Come Now Fount, and here are the lyrics:

Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise

Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise His name! I'm fixed upon it
Name of God's redeeming love

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee

Prone to wander Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

Here's my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

Our week

Man, we have had quite a week, actually 9 days and counting. It all started last Monday when Sophia came home after school with a fever and chills. She stayed home with that fever till yesterday, which was, count 'em, 8 days. We took her to the Dr twice, neither time with a diagnosis. They said it wasn't the flu (according to the test) but in every sense of the word, every symptom that could be experienced, it was the flu. Maybe it was a super-bug, a new version of the flu that hasn't made it to diagnosis yet, who knows. Anyways, this picture was taken of Sophia on her 8th birthday. We had no party, no cake, no meal. She went from sleeping on the porch to laying on the couch and back and forth all day. She has had no appetite and has lost at least 4 pounds. Thankfully, today her fever has stayed away. Her appetite is returning, and soon she will be eating birthday cake. She may even get to go to school tomorrow!
Meanwhile, with our animal family, the midnight marauder has been coming around. It was getting into our chicken feed, got around our first solution (a container with a locking lid) - we brought the food up onto the porch and locked it up. Sunday night, it pulled the fencing back from the frame of the babies' chicken cage and got ahold of Sissy. Here she is, the poor baby. Her toes on her left foot were all torn off at the 2nd "knuckle" - one is still hanging by a thread, and I am afraid to take it off the rest of the way. I will let nature take its course and let it fall off on its own. The varmint also got her right wing - she only has about a half inch of wing left. Luckily, no skin was broken on her body (besides the wing and foot) so, systemically she is healthy still. Her wing and foot are healing nicely, and she is eating and peeing and pooping. She also thinks that we are her mommy as we have held her in our hands since yesterday when we found her. She even got a warm bath in the sink, healing ointment on her wounds, and lots of TLC and snuggling.
We have set traps out on many occasions, but this doggone critter has been smart enough to eat the bait and not set the trap off. Last night, we tied a few bones to the inside rear panel of the cage and it worked! Here is the pesky raccoon in its defeat. My dear neighbor, Tony, picked him up a little while ago to release somewhere far, far away.
My goodness, he is so cute. Too bad he's such a trouble maker.

We are looking forward to having a better week, what with Sophia on the mend and the raccoon gone. Maybe we'll even get some sleep tonight!

Love to all...

Hooray for rain!! Please keep coming!!

Dannyism

So our family has been fighting a nasty virus that acts just like the flu. First Olivia had it, then Dad, then Sophia. During the night last night, litte Danny started with the chills and coughing. I was talking to him about it this morning, and here was his response: "Actually, Mom, I am feeling kinda better. Except my brain is still kinda like umm frozen."

Alrighty then.

Test post

This is a really cool thing that Blogger is doing! I can send blog updates using my cell phone!! Fun stuff. Technology today.

One More Greeting

Happy Easter from my chicken coop to yours! : )

Baby Surprise Jacket

Elizabeth Zimmerman is a knitting design genius! She came up with a way to knit a baby sweater, shaping and all, knitting back and forth with very minimal seaming. When it is finished (before seaming) it looks like this:
Here is the back - so simple yet so beautiful:

The seam is the tops of the arms/shoulders. Add a few pretty buttons and Voila!

The yarn I used was Knit Picks Imagination, in Damsel. It is a hand-dyed merino/alpaca/nylon blend. It is so soft and the colors so rich, it turns an ordinary gift into something that is quite luxurious.