Monday Multitudes 799-821

Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest, then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back. 1 Corinthians 15:22-23

The concept of death makes us feel uncomfortable. We fear it because not one of us knows how or when we will die. Fortunately, the most reassuring news in the universe brings hope to our fears. Jesus, the only person who has experienced death and lived to tell about it, promises eternal life in heaven with God to all who trust in Him!

On this day that the Lord has made I am thankful for;

a family who has learned lessons about death and is now all the more knowledgeable and a little less afraid

a busy weekend full of fun family activities

time to spend with friends

time to spend with family

banana bread with cream cheese frosting

cards and notes of sympathy and thanks for my husband

a fun project for my husband to keep him busy this spring

having a job just blocks from my home when the price of gas is rising

plenty of recent work for my husband so we can pay the bills

a full session for the supper club again this month

a wonderful smart, sensible sister to share

a warm place to be on cold spring nights like this one

the hint of a Bible study in the works

a piano recital piece that is finally coming together

homemade gifts

time to braid my daughters hair

supper with extended family

breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa after church

running with Maleah

the Gavinator's endless quest for understanding of the world around him

little girls that still want to cuddle sometimes

comforting

on the to do list for today

the little girls' slippers

I am giving her grief here for jumping in without waiting for me to catch her

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

After spending a couple hours at the hotel pool with Nora last night, I am in desperate need of some comfort today. She has no fear. None. The complete opposite of her sister Addison. The summer promises to be eventful. I should crochet I life vest for Nora to live in.

Today the neighbor and I ran to a garage sale and it was cold out. COLD. So I came home in dire need of some comfort food.  I have a go to recipe for ooey gooey yummy enchiladas that I just don't make often enough. I had some cooked chicken breast staring at me in the fridge so I made this up for lunch. Without browning the burger we were at the table chowing down in 20 minutes. This is actually a taste of home recipe that I modified by removing the canned soup from the original recipe. I don't even know why they had it in there. It doesn't need it. It is really delicious and comforting on a cold day like today. I also just add about a half of a cup or so of my homemade salsa instead of onion and green chilies.

Skillet Enchiladas
1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce (you can make this from scratch using tomato sauce and chili powder)

1 to 2 tablespoons canned chopped green chilies

Canola oil

8-10 corn tortillas

2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) finely shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 cup chopped ripe olives

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion (I used chicken today and left out the onion) over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the enchilada sauce and chilies (I always use homemade salsa). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in another skillet, heat 1/4 in. of oil. Dip each tortilla in hot oil for 3 seconds on each side or just until limp; drain on paper towels. (if you accidentally over cook one or two - sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar for desert :)) Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup cheese and 1 tablespoon olives. Roll up and place over beef mixture, spooning some of mixture over the enchiladas.

Cover and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; cover and cook until cheese is melted. Makes about 8-10 enchiladas and a ton of sauce.

Yummy, cheesy, comfort...exactly what today needed. Now off to make some of my favorite cookies!

It's Friday

Let's see. My sdcard is empty so no new photos to share, although I wish I would have snapped a few yesterday when the girls and I spent all morning outside. It was beautiful. I even hung a couple of loads of laundry on the line.

It has been nice enough to get out and exercise again which means I have blisters, again. Ouch. I can't get them to heal and they hurt.

Wednesday's Lenten service was excellent, again. I wanted to write about Pastor's sermon about trust and betrayal. I should have because I can't remember it anymore.

Spring is my least favorite time of the year. It is dirty and wet and muddy and my house shows it. But, I was happy when I noticed my lilies poking up through the ground. I should have taken a picture. I guess I still can. I am itching to get in the garden.

The amazon deals have been CrAzY good. I think I have ordered something every day this week. Cereal, coffee, toilet paper, yes I am living THE life. My ups man and I are on a first name basis now. I feel like I should get him a birthday gift. We are that close.

That's about it.

Wisdom... recent snippets from our house that I just have to record...

Nora is breathing rapidly while she is feverish..."mom, I think I am mad, listen to my noise."


Addi, when told she was a little girl, " But mom I am not a baby, look, I am THIS looooonnng."


Addi tells her Aunt "I am a big girl, I wear panties all the time."


Gavin gets a kiwi out of the fruit drawer. "What are you eating?" I say. "Zucchini" he replies.


Nora: "Mom is it hungry time yet?"


Addi: bored..."Mom, I think I have to go to Sara's (daycare) today."


Nora at the zoo: right after a goat head butts the fence near Gavin, "Get me outta here...the aminals are gonna get me."


playing hide and seek at our house: Maleah screams from her hiding spot, "okay, we are ready, come and get us"...Addi "I hafta count first, one two free seven ten nineteen, ready or not I am here coming"


Gavin: I spent a little bit of time explaining to my kids about the burial process before the funeral. When we were at the cemetery in a small crowd of family walking to the burial place for Great Grandma Gordon, Gavin is observing where we are placing our feet and he yells a little too loudly, "Hey mom, we are walking on dead bodies."


Maleah: "oh" when her aunt Kim tries to explain what Bieber fever means. A few moment later, "Who is Justin Bieber?" she asks.


Gavin: "I pretty much know every word now," after the fourth time in three days of reciting the prayer of the rosary.


Nora: coming home from being out of the house for the 5th day in a row....runs to the dining room chair and gives it a hug, "I love my house, mommy."


Maleah: telling me about the bullying assembly at school. "and then he asked how many friends we had and some kids said they had hundreds of them...I didn't know they kept track like that." Me: "I think they are talking about facebook friends." Maleah: "oh"

but who's counting?

2 prayer services
$67 worth of pickles bought
24 pieces of cake devoured
2 funerals
a pint or so of tears shed
many Scripture words read
6 or so helpful aunties and cousins who watched the girls
10 pairs of muddy dress shoes
2 wilted flowers rescued
2 ties with frosting on them
3 suit jackets that need to be cleaned
2 toddler sweaters with juice stains
1 blister from too many days in heels (or I need new running socks)
dozens of cousins and grandkids played with
many hours spent visiting with relatives
several emails, texts,calls, cards and condolence hugs
3 beautiful days of weather that we sort of missed
1 reading rally attended by a very tired family of 6
1 dentist appointment
1 tired toddler who came home today from another visit to my amazing and wonderful neighbor and said, "I love my house, mommy"
2 toddlers who have preschool screening tomorrow
a sinkful of dirty dishes, mountains of laundry and a muddy floor waiting while the
stolen minutes spent playing make believe with the girls and helping the kids with homework and visiting with them about their day seem all the more precious today...

*big, heavy, sigh...*

for Grandma Rosalyce

God of hope,

we come to you in grief and confusion of heart.

Help us to find peace in the knowledge

of your loving mercy to all your children,

and give us light to guide us out of our darkness

into the assurance of your love,

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

For Uncle Larry and his family

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit."


Psalm 34:18 (NLT)

"The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!'

"The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. For the Lord does not abandon anyone forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion according to the greatness of his unfailing love."

Lamentations 3:22-26; 31-32 (NLT)

Thank you for the comfort we find in Your presence. Through the Holy Spirit we know Your presence is with us. Send us Your peace Lord; the peace that passes all understanding. Don’t let us waiver and doubt. Give us a faith that is everlasting. We release our lives into Your hands. As we wait and watch, we know Lord that none of us will escape this journey through death. Teach us how to embrace it with faith. Give us strength to hold up those who are stepping closer to seeing You face to face. Take away the fear in the heart of our loved one who will soon see You; let them find peace in Your grace, comfort in Your love, and strength in Your mighty power over death. Comfort us as our grief seems to over power us.

Amen.

let the Lenten season begin

from T.S. Eliot's Ash Wednesday



Because I do not hope to turn again

Because I do not hope

Because I do not hope to turn

Desiring this man's gift and that man's scope

I no longer strive to strive towards such things

(Why should the agèd eagle stretch its wings?)

Why should I mourn

The vanished power of the usual reign?


Because I do not hope to know

The infirm glory of the positive hour

Because I do not think

Because I know I shall not know

The one veritable transitory power

Because I cannot drink

There, where trees flower, and springs flow, for there is nothing again


Because I know that time is always time

And place is always and only place

And what is actual is actual only for one time

And only for one place

I rejoice that things are as they are and

I renounce the blessèd face

And renounce the voice

Because I cannot hope to turn again

Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something

Upon which to rejoice


And pray to God to have mercy upon us

And pray that I may forget

These matters that with myself I too much discuss

Too much explain

Because I do not hope to turn again

Let these words answer

For what is done, not to be done again

May the judgement not be too heavy upon us

If the lost word is lost, if the spent word is spent

If the unheard, unspoken

Word is unspoken, unheard;

Still is the unspoken word, the Word unheard,

The Word without a word, the Word within

The world and for the world;

And the light shone in darkness and

Against the Word the unstilled world still whirled

About the centre of the silent Word.


O my people, what have I done unto thee.


Where shall the word be found, where will the word

Resound? Not here, there is not enough silence

Not on the sea or on the islands, not

On the mainland, in the desert or the rain land,

For those who walk in darkness

Both in the day time and in the night time

The right time and the right place are not here

No place of grace for those who avoid the face

No time to rejoice for those who walk among noise and deny the voice


Teach us to care and not to care

Teach us to sit still

Even among these rocks,

Our peace in His will

Hiding places

I made the oldest clean out her room, I mean really clean and this is what she brought me. She told me she was throwing away some candy and this is what she was referring to. What is wrong with her? I would have eaten all of of this by Nov. 1st. I can't believe she hoards candy, a whole bowl full. Bonus:  Now I know where the littles have been sneaking the candy...I have been finding wrappers in the oddest of places.