A Birthday Trip to Write Home About...

Mt. Rainier National Park

I celebrated my birthday last week, and as a rather significant part of my gift, my dear sweet husband gave me the chance to visit my friend, Bobbi, in Washington. I traveled alone for the first time since having kids, and the rest was much needed as was the visit with a God-appointed friend.

The Seattle area is an amazing place... a little bit for everyone! Big city, lots of water, mountains to hike, professional sports, and evergreens everywhere... beautiful! Oh --- and for Buckeye fans, a little bit of OSU football to make the deal sweeter! In fact, there were so many fans in Seattle on Friday that it felt more like being in Columbus on game day. Even the football team made their way to Pike Place Market to throw a few fish with the fishmongers.

I won't give a detailed account of the entire trip here, but I will provide a few collages to peak your interest in that part of the country if you have never been.

Tacoma

Pike Place Market

Safeco Field, Home of the Seattle Mariners
(another ballpark to add to my list)

From the Ferry to Bainbridge

Mt. Rainier National Park

Hymns: Ancient & Modern...

This morning I started pulling out the fall decorations. I almost always wait until the final week of September to decorate, and here it is! Knee deep in pumpkins, gourds, and scarecrows, we decided to turn on a little music. Around here, we sing a lot of old hymns interspersed with a lot of modern worship music, so I scrolled through the ipod until I found this album --- Hymns: Ancient & Modern from the folks at Passion.

You know what... with songs like "O Worship the King," "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty," and "Fairest Lord Jesus," it made the perfect background music to prepare the house for a season of gratefulness.

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done."

1 Chronicles 16:8

Whiter than Snow...

Today, a little child through her mother's blog reminded me of a wonderful hymn I haven't sung in a very long while. It bears a message I want a friend of mine, who has probably never read this blog, to hear. I want him to hear the last verse when Nicholson penned "Come now, and within me a new heart create; To those who have sought Thee Thou never saidst, No," and I want him to know that the Lord will not reject him... that with arms open wide, He will receive him into His family and create in him a clean heart.

I also want you to listen, read, think...

Whiter Than Snow
by James Nicholson
Composer: William Gustavus Fischer

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole, I want Thee forever to live in my soul; Break down every idol, cast out every foe; Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain: Whiter than snow; yes, whiter than snow; Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain, Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain; To get this blest cleansing I all things forego; Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies, And help me to make a complete sacrifice; I give up myself and whatever I know; Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat; I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet; By faith, for my cleansing I see Thy blood flow; Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait; Come now, and within me a new heart create; To those who have sought Thee Thou never saidst, No; Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

You can hear the instrumental version here.

Photo courtesy of allposters.com

White Fog I by Stan Shire

Tiny Bibles...

I have a thing for tiny bibles so imagine my curiosity when I stumbled upon a post entitled "Itsy Bitsy Bibles" over at Bible Design and Binding. (Hat tip to The Gospel-Driven Church for the link!)

Since my senior year of college, I have had a string of little bibles, all small enough to tuck into my purse, backpack, or diaper bag. The thought of carrying around one of those 10 lb study bibles just doesn't sit well with me... after all, I am usually also toting a couple of 20-30 lb kids and their gear too!

So... this is my current "little" bible... a Valentine's Day gift from my dear husband. It's a mere 3.75" x 5.75" and the text is --- well --- not for the faint of sight!! It's an ESV, and I have completely enjoyed the transition away from my long-time NIV and even my much-loved NASB. You can read more about the ESV here, but John Piper summed it up when he said "The ESV satisfies the preaching, memorizing, studying, and reading needs of our church, from children to adults."

I'm just glad to know that there are others in the world who love their "little" bibles as much as I do and who hide God's word in their hearts (and their purses)!

Autumn is arriving...

"Autumn is a second spring

when every leaf's a flower."
~ A. Camus

No... this isn't what our house looks like yet. We are still a couple of weeks away from the glorious changing of the leaves, but this morning when I stepped outside I noticed the Sugar Maple down the street had already begun it's quiet transformation.

This particular Sugar Maple is the first to change every year, and it's bright orange leaves burn with the announcement that Autumn has indeed arrived. This is the time of the year I cherish the most --- the cool, breezy days... the bright blue skies... the pumpkins, gourds, and hay bales... the difference between Ohio and Louisiana.

I miss "home" often because things there are familiar and the people are so dear to me and the food is so good, but each fall God brings me a special gift that He could never have given me had I not obeyed His call to follow. That gift is His incredible creation dressed in His glory and displaying the colors of fall.

So... check back later. As the brief, but glorious season of fall continues around our little house, there will be more pictures of God's glory on display for us to see.

You can also find the Fall Color Reports for Ohio here... the guest room is open!

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all."

1 Chronicles 29:11

Buckeye Candy...

On weekends when the Buckeyes are playing, I am sure that peanut butter and chocolate sales across Central Ohio must hit an all-time peak. These candies are truly wonderful, and there's not a football watching party in this part of the country that doesn't feature a plate full of them, either homemade or bought at the local candy shop.

Tomorrow I'm heading out to Seattle to visit my dear friend, Bobbi, so the kids and I decided to make a batch of Buckeyes to take to her and her family. These little candies are the simplest thing to make, but they are a little bit time-consuming.

We mixed up our batch and started rolling them out into balls. Dylan decided that his should be a log rather than a ball, and then told me that he wanted to call his "Tiger Bait." I made a blob and said it was "Dawg Chow."

Brooklyn didn't care what shape hers was in as long as she could eat it as soon as possible.

Our friends in Ohio already know that our true loyalty lies elsewhere, so y'all don't fuss at me again for talking about the Buckeyes on this blog! If you want to make your own Buckeyes (or more appropriately called Tiger Bait for the majority of y'all reading this), here's the recipe we use:

Buckeye Candy

3 cups creamy peanut butter
2 sticks butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
about 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar (adjust to desired consistency)
2 (12 oz) packages semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ bar of paraffin wax

Mix together peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar. Mixing it by hand seems to work the best. Form into 3/4-inch balls. For better results, refrigerate for 30-45 minutes before dipping.


Over a double boiler, melt chocolate along with paraffin wax. Using a toothpick, dip peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate until almost covered, leaving some of the peanut mixture exposed on top. (Just drop the whole thing in if you're making Tiger Bait and don't even worry about a neatly shaped ball if you're making Dawg Chow!) Cool on waxed paper. Refrigerate.

Makes about 10 dozen.

The Bucketheads...

I think it is safe to say that we are a family of bucketheads... and this is without any prompting!

Dylan, age 19 months...

Brooklyn, age 17 months...

Seasonal Delights... new online magazine

There is no season such delight can bring,

as summer, autumn, winter, and the spring.

~ William Browne ~

Simply by registering before the end of September, you can enjoy a free one-year subscription to the new online magazine, Seasonal Delights. I downloaded my free copy today, and it is full of wonderful fall-inspired recipes, crafts, and reading recommendations. Detailed instructions are given with every recipe and craft, and the entire magazine is full of beautiful, original photographs. Secure your subscription today by clicking here!

Seasonal Delights is a quarterly magazine. It is primarily designed for young ladies and their mothers, but can be enjoyed by anyone who loves celebrating the joys of each passing season.

Seasonal Delights is scheduled for four issues each year, in September, December, March, and June.

Seasonal Delights is published electronically as a PDF file, and is formatted for 8.5 x 11″ pages. It is a full-color publication, and is produced by Kelli and Phillip Winn.