embodied worship

With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an intelligent act of worship, to give Him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him.

Romans 12:1, Phillips

In pregnancy and childbirth, I do one of the most amazing physical feats humans can do: I present my body as a living sacrifice for the sake of creating by God's power another person. I would like to think this is how all sacrifice should feel in the religious life: the hurts don't go away, but eventually they make one glad. They are markers on that path to wonder.

Debra Rienstra

Great With Child, p. 89

Whatever, therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

I Corinthians 10:31

more mommy-mades

Last night I finished a little cloche for Baby, altering the pattern a little from the one in The Expectant Knitter.

this pic isn't true to color, but it shows the flower

nursery details

wall art, done on white butcher paper by my uncle

homemade crib skirt, trying out the embroidery stitches on the sewing machine

ceiling decor

a few more birds, can be found here but I bought them here for mere pennies

framed art paper

counting cards detail

finished bird pillow inspired by this

Things are coming together in Baby's room. Half of it is taken up by the guest bed, which at the moment happens to be covered in projects that I am working on and boxes that I am going through, but the other half is looking rather sweet. We have had so much fun putting the room together. Parts of it are still rather hodgepodge-ey, but I think the idea that I originally had is finally coming through.

Along the way we had a few course shifts from the original plan:

• The crib, originally brown wood, stayed brown wood even though we were going to paint it a creamy white. We may still re-paint it, but then again, the wood looks fine!
• The recliner that we already had ended up being a much more comfortable chair for feeding Baby than the rocker that we found and recovered.

There are still a few things that need to be figured out or "found", such as, what are we going to use for a changing table? A dresser would be great - especially if it had shelf and drawer space. Also, the room doesn't quite seem tied together yet. I can't put my finger on it, but that little "something" just doesn't seem to be there. Maybe I'm too picky, or just have been working at it so long that I can't step back and admire. Anyone have an idea for how to bring it all together?

In the meantime, John and I are eagerly awaiting our Little One. We went to visit the mid-wife yesterday, and she was pleased at how we're growing! Baby is 34 weeks old, head down with her feet up. Those little feet are pretty active, too! They tend to find their way up under my ribs, making it a little tricky to bend over or get comfortable. Soon enough, though, I know I'll miss that feeling.

champagne chicken

One of John's co-managers gave us a bottle of sparkling white wine (domestic Champagne) for Christmas ........ and I found an amazing recipe to use it in! Mom used to use the extra red wine "gifts" from Dad's farmer clients to make a grape jelly that had an amazing flavor. I thought of using the sparkling wine for something similar and realized that the flavor might be a bit odd. So, I chose a chicken dish instead. It's flavor is amazing: light, but still a little too complex to be considered comfort food - possibly a "company" dish? Wonderful when served with a baked potato and some salad.

So, here's the link to Chicken Breasts in Champagne.

the meaning of matter

One of the most profound and far-reaching implications of the Christian belief that God both created the world and entered it personally, is that matter matters; it has inherent meaning. It is not simply neutral, empty and waiting for us to grant whatever meaning or value we choose at any given point. We strain to touch the meaning of the physical world, to find words for it; but the source of its profundity is beyond us.

-debra rienstra

great with child, p. 27

The source of its profundity is beyond us, but also, incredibly, within our reach (John 1:10-13). What a paradox.

Because He created and came into "our" world, every minute cell has meaning. Especially the cells that join to form a fresh life, and to which a soul is given. Just the fact that God created it gives even the microscopic bits of matter meaning, but how much more so when He became a tiny bit of matter Himself.

This Christmas especially I have pondered over and over the weird and awesome fact that God would choose to become so vulnerable, so tiny. For a third of pregnancy, our Messiah could have fit inside my hand.
I have pondered how Mary felt. Did she ever mourn for what might have been, for her normal life that would never be? Did she panic when she felt a strange pain or twinge? Or was there a slight sense of relief, that maybe she wouldn't be asked to carry this child after all? What was her joy like?
And how Joseph felt. Did he take pride in Mary's growing belly? Did he talk to Jesus, sing to Him, listen to His heartbeat? What was his anticipation like? Was it more trepidation, or was he able to leave his fears at God's feet?

for Baby

We bought our Baby a car seat today - and now have what we need to bring her home from the hospital. Come when she will, we can bring her home!!! In a way, knowing that it is very reassuring for me. : )

Wonderful Love

Yesterday I found an article titled "His Love Stories", by Elisabeth Adams.

"The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Word made flesh. I like to think that, in a small way, each of us is also the Word made flesh; that each of us has a story in which the kindness of God is made visible to the world. Think how clear His kindness is in your salvation story. And when you listen to the salvation stories of others, don't you see how unique is the way He captures each of our hearts?
"That's why my favorite love stories are true ones. In fact, I've probably read or heard the stories of nearly 150 Christian couples, each one as unique as a fingerprint. Some couples called it "courtship," some called it "dating," and some met and married long before the terms acquired their present meanings. God's kindness is evident in them all."

It's a good article, reminding us of God's creativity in pursuing and wooing us. After I read it I started to think of the many ways that God is still wooing me - because one of the wonderful things about the Almighty is that He is our Eternal Lover, never content to let our relationship with Him to grow stale. And not just the ways He woos me, but those around me.
It may not always feel loving or look beautiful in the moment - just as in any long term relationship there are periods of pain - but looking back I can see that He has always been loving, always been faithful to care for my heart.
What a wonderful God.

preparing for our little one

I've been working on another sweater for Baby, this one a little bit bigger than the first. The pattern is from The Expectant Knitter, and the yarn is a merino and bamboo blend. All that's left are the sleeves, and putting on our Little One, of course.

today

Scattered flurries early this morning...otherwise becoming mostly sunny. Highs 15 to 20. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Wind chill values as low as 20 below this morning.
taken from the weather underground website

Currently the temperature is 6.3*, but with the windchill it's -1*. This CA girl is feeling the cold!!!

advent: peace

prepare Him room II

I just started listening to a series of Advent sermons titled "Prepare Him Room". The first sermon focused on humility, on us humbling ourselves to make room in our hearts for wonder at Christ's coming. The amazement and glorious wonder of God made flesh is so easily eclipsed by "us" and "me"; when we aren't lauding each other - or ourselves - we seem to be criticizing or condemning, pitying, loathing. It all adds up to the same thing - being self-centered rather than God-centered.

I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of the sermons as they are posted, and also pondering "preparing room" and how it looks in my life, right now.

prepare Him room

Saturday morning in December

This, plus reading Luke 3 and the weekend edition of NPR, has been my morning so far. Oh - I made some fudge, too. It was a good and cozy way to spend my snowy morning.

** evening update **

So, I put up my feet for a while and then got antsy, so I made pumpkin banana nut muffins and the dough for soft and spicy gingerbread cookies. And worked on the dishes that had piled up. :) After all of which my wonderful husband came home (to an apartment that smelled like heaven) and told me I needed to put my feet up again while he, tired though he was, got something together for dinner. I love that man.

light

This morning I heard DC Talk's "In The Light", and it has stuck with with me all day. It keeps turning over in my mind and heart in conjunction with, The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shined (Isa. 9:2).

Ponder the Light this Christmas.


This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth;
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

- I John 1:5-7

welcome December!

It is the first day of December, and to celebrate we have snow flurries today. Fluffy little bits of ice flying through the air.