and drift away
up to our eyeballs in snow & loving it! yesterday we were able to worship at our old church, harvest community, and loved walking through tunnels dug through the 8 ft-drifts of snow near the back door. we were so glad the service wasn’t canceled. i’m tempted to use the word “magical” in mad props to drew barrymore & all the cartoons we’ve been watching…but i’ll rephrase for the sake of calling it right: there is something supernatural/heavenly about the connection between believers, partaking in true worship together, focusing on god & not ourselves.
this photo was taken christmas day. this is the present i was most excited to give. we’ll be making double appearances, i know it! vi received a tinkerbell costume & henry’s hulk costume freaked him out, so i think we’ll regift it to him next christmas. really, i need to get jay a costume, too. hmm.
hope your christmas was merry. we loved being snowed in for nearly 2 days. it’s still sorta tricky getting around town, but it’s vacation: who cares?!!
unwind
last night we hosted our 2nd annual easley “family” christmas carol sing and the house was packed with folks enjoying sugary treats, coffee, egg nog, & invisible kool aid. we sang for an hour & enjoyed the company of dear friends for another hour & a half. it was lovely.
and after a long yesterday of preparations, the kids & i were ready for a laid back “books & movies” day today. once they slipped into nap-land, i started watching “julie/julia” and sipping egg nog and dreaming about the days ahead as we’re planning to travel back to nebraska to see my family. i love the scene when the sisters reunite at the train station.
if there’s any one thing i miss most about being near family & close friends: lively conversation. conversation about anything. discussion & interaction. thankfully, daily life seems to happen with a shimmer/glow around it so that the “missing” gets filled in well enough with periodic binges with the dearest of conversationalists. you know, the ones that ask questions. and then listen to the answers. and then remember what you said.
anyhow, i sit here sipping egg nog & enjoying the quiet of our napping house & our napping town & the state of my heart & life. this is the most peaceful december i have experienced since….ever? a station in life full of contentment that seems to cover just about everything, and not because it’s all going my way or that i’ve triumphed over hurdles, pulled the thorn from my side, & stand firmly upon the summit. i think it’s because i’m okay with the imperfections & flaws…most notably, my own. aaah. entrance into my 30’s has been like a jacuzzi soak. so refreshing and relaxing.
i hope you’re enjoying the days before christmas. oh, here’s a little treat for you: amazon video on demand is up & running. you can stream movies. enter this code for $4 credit. the quality is great! enjoy! (AVODGIFT is the promo code).
slippers, blanket forts, & enchiladas
i’m taking a break from enchilada prep to jot down my recipe here so i don’t lose it (as i have one, two, three times before) again. i’m still wearing my pajamas & slippers. of course we did our school work & house work & memory work…but 3 of 4 easleys were in their pajamas for all of that. henry had a hair cut & thus needed a bath afterward to recover from the trauma. 30 seconds of torture…4 weeks of cuteness.
there’s a broken blanket fort in the family room, legos & skateboard wheels scattered on the table, and the house smells like freshly pressed garlic & sauteed mushrooms. during this rare noon hour, all three students are napping (or pretending to nap) and i am in a state of euphoria at the chance to cook up a scrumptious favorite with the sun coming through the kitchen windows and some songs that inspire contemplation.
now, for the recipe. i’ll post the basics and then add a footnote to my weird additions (that are usually added to compensate for having small kids & them not liking a lot of spice quite yet).
(will add recipe when i finish)
though the darkness hide thee
do you get the same feeling i get when you listen to sufjan’s “holy, holy, holy”? listening to those truths sung with harmonies that are full of delicate longing remind me that i hunger for god. that i want to be close with him. temporaries seem to fade & i’m reminded of gentleness in my heart that is often neglected or quieted by necessity/task/function. still. fragile. humble. awestruck.
a friend of ours passed into glory early this morning. i don’t know the details & mourn with the family at their loss of father/grandfather/husband here on earth. but as i drove my girls to ballet class this morning, i was full of that same awe at imagining a soul newly entering the presence of our lord. as we drove & listened to “before the throne”, i kept circling around these verses:
Behold Him there, the risen Lamb,
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace.
One with Himself, I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God!
western states
you know that feeling when you can’t do anything well cuz you’re doing so many things? i’m so glad the weekend has passed–tuesday, you never looked so nice! is that a new skirt? new hair-do? oh i just love it on you, tuesday!
we had a show at our house featuring three really great musicians, matt haeck, joe garner, & randolph robinson who were traveling through. i’d only heard matt’s music before and was delighted to heard the other fellas tunes, as well. we had austin/becky join us for viewing on ichat.
it was a night of fantastic live music. i love love love music in common spaces WAY MORE than music in cafes/bars/etc. subtleties are delightful, and so were the cookies.
free
corrie hosted an art day at her place last saturday, which turned into an overnighter (yay!). we listened to great music and enjoyed friends and creating collectively on our individual projects. we ended the night with popcorn and brokedown palace. i worked on a collage inspired by anne truitt’s writing in daybook. my favorite typewriter has red ink ribbon!
and also i’ve been thinking about these verses from lamentations today:
restart
my brother-in-law, cam, roasts coffee from home using sweet maria’s beans & a popcorn popper. oh la! it is so fresh and so tasty.
we’re hosting a concert @ our house on sunday night. matt haeck & friends will be playing at 8pm. come enjoy some coffee/tea & great music.
i love thursdays. we never have plans on thursdays. good coffee, an episode of the little einsteins, & an empty slate for learning, cleaning, & enjoying each other.
it feels like god pushed my “restart” button. i love it when that happens. a gift.
