closer to the clouds

31 October 2008

Scattering New Blessings

By Edwina Gateley

Often we anxiously seek the will of God,
as if God had gleefully hidden dreams for us
deep in unfathomable places.
As if it were God’s intention
that our whole lives be spent
in endless searching for signs and directions
buried in obscurity.
The will of God is that which brings us
peace and fullness of life.
The will of God is the seed of our dreams
ever gestating with possibility
and longing to leap forward
scattering new and surprising blessings
in our gray reality.

Source: A Mystical Heart


...What an absolutely lovely God I have!

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29 October 2008

do you taste it?

By Richard Rohr

“Thy kingdom come” means very clearly that the Kingdom is something that enters into this world, or, as Jesus puts it, “is close at hand.” Don’t project it into another world. It’s a reality that breaks into this world now and then, when people are like God. The Kingdom is the Really Real. When the Really Real happens, when the true self emerges, you have a taste of what Jesus says it’s all about. When that can happen in terms of structures or groups, when you have a free group of people who love the truth more than themselves, then you have a taste of the Kingdom descending to earth.

Source: Jesus’ Plan for a New World



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captured by this in the wee hours...

"Those of us who have been drawn to understand that God is our Father through conversion in Christ recapture the Romance again—for a while... God is in his heaven and all seems right in the universe.

But this side of Eden, even relationship with God brings us to a place where a deeper work in our heart is called for if we are to be able to continue our spiritual journey. It is in this desert experience of the heart, where we are stripped of the protective clothing of the roles we have played in our smaller stories... Healing, repentance, and faith are called for in ways we have not known previously. At this place on our journey, we face a wide and deep chasm that refuses us passage through self-effort. And it is God’s intention to use this place to eradicate the final heart walls and obstacles that separate us from him."

(The Sacred Romance , 126, 127)

...the deeper work
...His present hand and heart
...journey
...transformation
...love

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27 October 2008

bread and butter

So, I just finished downing a very large piece of fresh from the oven bread with a generous portion of pumpkin butter smeared on top...this is a good day!

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news that only matters to mommas and grandmommas

One of the challenges I am facing while parenting through early childhood is how to think about/address the use of "bad words" and general name calling. It may seem black and white to some but I find it hard to explain, sometimes even to myself, the reasons why my children should not use certain words. At this point we are working mostly with... stupid, poopoo, peepee and heck. We have wanted to address it as an issue of the heart...name calling and the motivation behind it...but this is really hard to explain to a recently turned 2 year old.


Being the third, Audrey has the benefit of her brother's vast and various experience to draw from. Her vocabulary is incredible and she has the internal need to use more words (Definately part of our curse as women!). This can be a challenge in regards to this issue. Her favorite profanities are "poopoo", "stupy" and "holy cow" . That last one usually digresses into "holy heck". Can you even imagine this coming from her sweet little mouth? The boys came home with the word "heck" from an older boy at the farm, in the form of "what the heck?" Audrey latched onto the "heck" part after getting some strong reactions from her brothers in response to her saying it.

Honestly, THE most challenging part is not to bust out laughing every time she says it and most times we fail miserably.

In other news...

this is where I have been find the kids on these warm fall days

Owen almost busted out his front tooth on Mark's head last night during wrestle mania '08. It is loose and we are "encouraging" him to leave it alone. I couldn't leave it alone if it was in my mouth, how is he going to? Hopefully, we won't have a toothless 3 year old in a couple weeks.

Ethan is wow-ing us with his learning these days. We are having so much fun with school and it has been very encouraging to my heart to witness his enthusiasm. I love what I am learning about him in the process. Until about 3 months ago he has shown little interest in learning the traditional things that kids are learning in their pre-school years...like ABC's and 123's. We have provided the opportunities but he just hasn't cared. So, imagine my delight when he sits down at the table on Thursday, looks at a word search that was ripped out of a coloring book and proceeds to sound out and read the word "P-A-T" (the name of one of Handy Manny's tools). I love seeing the look in his eye when he "gets it". This was truly an "a-ha" moment.

And, I got my first cold of the season. I could have predicted it about 5 months ago. I have this nasty habit of getting sick as soon as I stop for some rest. We finished at the farm on Thursday and Friday I got a nice little sinus cold. Lovely!

Mark had a good time away on an Adullam Retreat this weekend. I think retreat season is over now for a while. Why is it that everyone thinks retreats should happen in April and October. There are 10 other months, can't we spread it out a bit?

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23 October 2008

deep breath

We are officially done at the farm for the season. I just finished processing my last batch of peppers and tomatoes. Earlier this week Mark and I finished our last batch of applesauce. The canners are put away. All jars are filled with the exception of the 9 we have already opened and used. The bushel baskets in the garage are sorted. My upright freezer is COMPLETELY full. My counters are free of "organic" dirt for the first time since June.

It is time for a deep breath!

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20 October 2008

fall fun

Enjoying one of our favorite fall activities and particularly that we have the "margin" to do so...






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15 October 2008

you gotta try this

Pumpkin Butter

1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

½ cup agave nectar*

1 t. cinnamon

½ t. ginger

¼ t. ground cloves

1/8 t. nutmeg

Pinch of salt

Preparation:

Combine the pumpkin and agave nectar in a small saucepan over medium heat, mixing until well combined. Stirring constantly, cook for about 15 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in the spices and salt, and cook for about 5 minutes more. Remove the pan from heat, and transfer your pumpkin butter to a small heat-proof dish or jar. Let cool completely before covering and refrigerating. Pumpkin butter will keep for about 2 weeks in a covered container in the refrigerator.

*I used only 1/4 cup of light agave

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14 October 2008

birthday fun

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13 October 2008

my birthday girl

Our girl is 2. We are so enjoying all that is emerging from this little princess. Her vocabulary is incredible, her spunk and sweetness undo us and her hair leaves me speechless.

Unlike our boys, Audrey has not YET had to transition into being an older sibling. Ethan and Owen both had another new baby in the house before they turned 2. We have been mindful of these "extra" days with our girl before her sister arrives. We have been able to delight in and enjoy her with less distraction and we have loved every moment...well, almost. We weren't particularly enjoying her high-pitched protest this morning...she is beginning to redefine drama around here almost daily.

She is a delightful girl and now she is 2!

January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008


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12 October 2008

arms wide open

We have had 3 days of deliciously overcast skies and cozy cool temperatures. It has been the welcoming into fall that I cherish. Mark has been churning out the lattes and my creative juices have started to flow...both in the kitchen and with regard to fun projects for the holidays to come.

Friday night I pressure cooked and put up pumpkin to satisfy my growing cravings for breads, cookies, pies and anything else I can put pumpkin in. Saturday we enjoyed a very low key family day. We started the day pretty slowly but had to head out to look at a stroller we found on Craig's list. That turned out to be a marvelous blessing. Then we enjoyed a beautiful evening at a wedding of some friends in Colorado Springs...a glorious ceremony, amazing food and some funky dancing! I have decided to abandon all thoughts of what it must look like for a woman who is 7 months pregnant to try and groove...it was too much fun to ruin it with self-consciousness. Today has been slow and good too...mostly preparations for Audrey's big day tomorrow.

Among all of this and so much more, the Father has been wooing me toward some deeply important parts of my heart that need to be tended and in fact doing much of the tending for me. I am humbly grateful for His movement in my life and hand on my heart. I find within myself a more spacious place to exist as my life joins the natural slowing down that occurs in the world around me this time of year.


Something we heard at the wedding last night in a charge given to the couple was "embrace the transformation." ...my arms are wide open!

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