Here is the banner I made last weekend for my china cabinet. I am having such fun creating banners and it really adds that extra "oomph" to the cabinet.  I love the beautiful floral paper--it promises spring will come even if the snow is still piled high outside.  I'm sorry about the glare--the cabinet faces my sun room and no matter what angle I tried I couldn't lose the reflection.

Does anyone else feel all discombobulated from the time change?  I am sleepy at the wrong time, wide awake at the wrong time and all over just a little confused.  It usually takes a week for my body to settle in to the new time, but it's a shame that just as I was starting to feel better the time change has zapped me!  One thing after another, but even if I am feeling a little off kilter it was wonderful coming home from work yesterday and having the sun still shining.  And when I stepped out of the car in my driveway--music to my ears--I could hear water trickling down the driveway into the street as the fifty degree weather was working its melting magic on the snow drifts!  

Here's a cute little poem by Phyllis McGinley to start the day off on a timely note...

Daylight Savings Time


In Spring when maple buds are red,


We turn the Clock an hour ahead;


Which means, each April that arrives,


We lose an hour 


Out of our lives.



Who cares? When Autumn birds in flocks


Fly southward, back we turn the Clocks,


And so regain a lovely thing--


That missing hour 


We lost last Spring.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy that extra sunlight this afternoon!

a bit of wondrous mystery...

Whew...what a busy weekend!  I am finally (finally!) starting to feel like myself again, and between the balmy temperatures (almost 40 degrees outside!), hearing some bird songs, and the bright sunshine I had the energy to tackle a few projects.  I started a gift for a friend's new granddaughter, picked up the house, did a little shopping, and finally made my new "spring" banner for the china cabinet.  But the biggest part of my weekend was spent in "baby" activities...I'm helping plan a baby shower for my daughter-in-law in April and I did a lot of printing, trimming and envelope addressing.  And as a special treat I was able to have lunch with her and hear about all the latest plans.  Nine weeks and counting...what an exciting time for our family!

I feel so incredibly thankful--that the baby will soon be here, that my son and daughter-in-law live close by, and that they are excited to share this special time with all of the family.  And one of the most special parts of my weekend?  My daughter-in-law letting me feel the baby kick.  Child of my child, growing and moving and soon to join us in the world--may you always know that...  

Before you were conceived

I wanted you.

Before you were born

I loved you.

Before you were here an hour

I would give my life for you.

This is the miracle of life.

Here is a lovely poem about this special time that I found last night, but unfortunately I could not find the author's name.  Blessings on all of you today--let's make it a wonderful week!

Little Baby in my womb

I feel you move within me

A bit of wondrous mystery,

As I wonder how you’ll be.

Miracle of life you are,

My innocent and perfect child

Formed by your Creator,

God Himself in Heaven smiled.

He looked down upon our home,

An heritage celestial, like no other

A precious blessing for our home

Gift of God, wrapped all in wonder.

Perfect little fingers, ten

I long to caress your softest skin

Little toes on little feet

Just little dots now, so small, so sweet.

Eyes of brown, or eyes of blue?

How I long to look at you.

Eyes still closed in silent sleep

I wish to gaze at you, perfect you.

For now I feel pleased and content

To feel you move within me

My darling mystery, growing within me

I wonder at you, Miracle Within...

called...into fresh hopefulness

A bit of spring magic happened today, in spite of the mounds of snow and blustery winds.  I opened my front door, stepped outside and there it was...hanging in the air.  First the distinctive call of the cardinal, perched in my neighbor's tree and then came the call I always associate with my mother.. her "yoo hoo" call as she gathered us all in at night from outdoor play.  The black capped chickadee was singing her heart out, and my heart answered with a glad song of its own.  Maybe spring hasn't been cancelled after all.

I was lucky enough to come across a new poet the other day, Luci Shaw, who has published several poetry books that speak to her faith and her love of nature.  I am happy to share two of her poems with you today, and if you like them, you can find more of her works at her website www.lucishaw.com.

What to sing

My heart quieted,

and after being still awhile

a single word rose from

the heart of my listening

telling me, quite clearly,

            Consider me,

            what I might mean, and

            how you might

            sing me.

(I am not telling you the word,

it is private.)

Hoping so deeply

for my word to be true,

I sat, waiting to

discern. And there,

balanced on

a swaying branch

above my head

was a woman bird,

singing exactly what

my heart had heard.

She sang, It’s simple.

Just open your throat.

The air will carry it.

 painting credit

And although I have yet to see one, I heard a robin singing the other day, so here is another lovely poem by Ms. Shaw about the robin's song--a shower for the heart and a true promise of spring.

Robin in the late afternoon

The window’s open, so I hear
each crystal note. Even with eyes closed,
I know a robin when I hear one,
telling the air between us how happy he is
about the soft rain and its summons
to the worms in the dark underground.
A pause. And then he sings again
from a more distant branch, but just as clear.
Or is it his mate? No matter, it’s a robin song,
a shower for the heart. I am no worm.
I do not tunnel under sod. But I am called,
beckoned into fresh hopefulness.
Bless God for birds, their vowels
pure and persuasive as spring rain.

 Have a wonderful day!

peeking out the window...

All I can say is, it isn't pretty anymore.  All that white stuff floating down from the sky, drifting like fine lace across the tree branches can go away.  Preferably now.  I promised you a week by week look at how spring is approaching, but it seems spring is playing coy this year...it's one baby step forward and three giant steps back. Someone at work changed the sign that read "15 days til spring" to "spring has been cancelled."  We all dispiritedly agreed that might be true.  No one has the oomph to play Pollyanna when it comes to the weather anymore.

I happened to catch the movie with Hayley Mills as Pollyanna on television last week, but I simply don't think playing her "Glad Game" will help with our foul weather moods right now.  And that's a double foul--foul weather outside as well as foul moods indoors!

I can't quite figure out how to be glad at what I saw yesterday in my backyard--five more inches of snow!

Last week

Yesterday...this is not progress!

Last week

Yesterday

But even though winter's dregs are weighing us down and every spirit on the earth seems as fervourless as I, writer Thomas Hardy must have been playing the Glad Game when he wrote this lovely poem---I am sure Pollyanna would appreciate how the thrush chooses to fling his soul upon the growing gloom.  Maybe it's time we join in the game...what have we got to lose at this point?  

The Darkling Thrush

I leant upon a coppice gate

      When Frost was spectre-grey,

And Winter's dregs made desolate

      The weakening eye of day.

The tangled bine-stems scored the sky

      Like strings of broken lyres,

And all mankind that haunted nigh

      Had sought their household fires.

The land's sharp features seemed to be

      The Century's corpse outleant,

His crypt the cloudy canopy,

      The wind his death-lament.

The ancient pulse of germ and birth

      Was shrunken hard and dry,

And every spirit upon earth

      Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among

      The bleak twigs overhead

In a full-hearted evensong

      Of joy illimited;

An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,

      In blast-beruffled plume,

Had chosen thus to fling his soul

      Upon the growing gloom.

So little cause for carolings

      Of such ecstatic sound

Was written on terrestrial things

      Afar or nigh around,

That I could think there trembled through

      His happy good-night air

Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew

      And I was unaware.

Music to my ears

"I hear your footsteps down the hall.  You are home again, and safe.  All the burdens of the day are lightened--and all the night noises are music to my ears."
 

One of my favorite parts of church is the benediction at the end of the service.  I love watching the pastor put his hands in the air and quietly say "May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord lift his countenance upon you and give you peace."  Amen to that.  Such a beautiful blessing--I walk out from church filled with that indefinable sense of peace and belonging and the feeling that all is right with the world.

Last night I was looking for a particular cross stitch pattern and while I was rifling through my project box I started finding all sorts of patterns that I bought years ago and simply haven't had the time to finish yet.  Here is one that I fell in love iwth--both the design and the loving message.  I bought this pattern during a time when my husband was teaching school in a different city two hours away, and I was still in our home with our teenagers, who we had chosen to not re-located to a different school system.  It was a difficult adjustment for all of us, and my heart always lightened on Fridays when my husband would arrive back home.  It truly did feel like all my "burdens of the day" could be set aside.  I felt much the same was as I do when I hear the benediction...once again, all was right in my world.

 

But serving as a "single mom" during the week, on top of working full time, didn't allow much time for crafting and eventually this pattern ended up in my "to do later" craft box.  But when I saw it last night I fell in love with it all over again, but now at home the roles are reversed.  Because my husband now works from our home, I am the one returning home each evening.  I walk in to see my husband at the dining room table, playing a game of cards as he waits for me to arrive, so that we can unwind together and enjoy our evening, and my burdens of the day are lightened when I see his smile. 

 

A glass of wine, a few favorite tunes on my new kitchen cd player, and quiet conversation while I start dinner preparations.  Home again...and all the night noises are music to my ears.  Perhaps it's time to move this pattern to the top of the pile.

 

Unexpected pleasures

What is more delightful than an unexpected gift arriving in your mailbox?  Just when I was feeling completely wrung out from this lingering bronchitis/pneumonia and my spirits were low from this never ending winter wasteland (funny how the same snowy backyard scene in December was a "winter wonderland", and how I'm now describing it as wasteland...) I found a small package sitting in my mailbox, virtually singing "hey look at me! open me and I'll cheer you right up!"  So I did and look what I found!

Sing for joy to God our strength, shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.  

Raise a song, strike the timbrel! (Psalm 81:1-2)

Is this just not the cutest apron ever??  My friend Mary, who has shared in my adventures abroad, and is a fellow violinist, writes the most amazing letters (you can read about her latest letter here) and occasionally tucks a special gift in the mail guaranteed to make me smile and lift my spirits.  She outdid herself with this lovely, thoughtful and oh-so-cheery apron, which I promptly donned and so adorned cranked out my first loaf of marshmallow bread!

Singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart (Ephesians 5:19)

I suppose if I were to correctly carry the Biblical verses throughout this blog, I should have made Ezekial bread (Ezekial 4:9) but I was led astray by the temptation of a three ingredient bread...quick rising flour, milk and marshmallow fluff.  Yup, marshmallow fluff!!  And the result was dee-licious!!  Toasted for breakfast it literally melted in my mouth and was sooo good.  You can find the recipe here.

A glad heart makes a cheerful face (Proverbs 15:13)

What is more delightful than an unexpected gift?  I guess the answer to that is there is nothing more delightful than having wonderful friends.

And here is a cheerful poem by George David Clark about cooking in the kitchen that made me smile...I hope you enjoy it too!

Lullaby with Succotash

maybe start talking say I like those

dangly things on your ears they’re called earrings

I know that and while you’re talking get out a bowl

and start peeling oranges to your lady say

can you do the succotash? and if yes do the succotash

with her a couple laps around the kitchen

with one hand on the small of her back and the other

hand

still peeling oranges add some key lime custard

and cherries and chocolate chips and syrup

are we making an doozie? tell her yes to doozie

and smile why are you smiling? say just the way

you do the succotash with your hips and your eyes

going half the way through me pour in banana pudding

and clear tequila you’ll make me dizzy

I know that you’ll make me naked I know that

turn on the radio shake a little music

out of the speaker right into the bowl maybe stop talking

maybe kiss her neck maybe stir everything up

let her taste a spoonful if it needs a pinch of cinnamon

that’s why we have spices take the dangly things

off her ears they’re called earrings I know that

put the earrings in the bowl say your skin baby

say your lips say your sugar baby say taste it again

and if she thinks it’s ready say let’s eat it in bed

Dear March - come in...

Happy Monday!  I shouldn't be so surprised at how quickly the weekend flies by and another Monday arrives, but somehow I always am.  And not only did the weekend pass quickly but we also got to say a cheerful ta ta and fare thee well to February.  Oh, February--even your short 28 days were simply too much to bear this winter!  As soon as I turned my calendar over on Saturday to March, it became apparent there are several things to look forward to this month, which will hopefully lead us one baby step at a time closer to spring.  And speaking of baby steps (do you like how I worked that in?) according to the calendar it's now just TEN WEEKS until I become a grandmother!  

And my son has successfully assembled his first crib!!

Apart from all things baby, what else am I looking forward to in March?  There's St. Patrick's Day, which I always love to celebrate with "leprechaun soup" and Irish soda bread, followed by watching "Darby O'Gill and the Little People".  And I have a slight confession to make, as my kids are probably old enough now to know the truth.  The leprechaun soup?  It's really just cheesy vegetable soup, sneakily renamed in order to entice you to eat some vegetables!  Perhaps I can also sweet talk my husband into watching "The Fighting Prince of Donegal" as well, and then end the evening with an Irish reel, if Darby will consent to play his fiddle...

And since I'm the daughter of a Hoosier, and also a graduate of Kansas University, basketball is in my blood, which makes March Madness a nice follow up to St. Paddy's day...

Which in turn is followed by International Happiness Day, which is something to smile about (pun intended)!

And speaking of happiness, I'm sharing a poem today about how happy Emily Dickinson was to see March arrive.  I guess she had experienced a wearisome February as well!

Dear March - Come in -

How Glad I am -

I hoped for you before -

Put down your Hat -

You must have walked -

How out of Breath you are -

Dear March, how are you, and the Rest -

Did you leave Nature well -

Oh March, Come right up stairs with me -

I have so much to tell -

I got your Letter, and the Birds -

The Maples never knew that you were coming -

I declare - how Red their Faces grew -

But March, forgive me -

All those Hills you left for me to Hue -

There was no Purple suitable -

You took it all with you -

Who knocks? That April.

Lock the Door -

I will not be pursued -

He stayed away a Year to call

When I am occupied -

But trifles look so trivial

As soon as you have come