Jun 3, 2011 | Baby Photos, Stories
Sometimes things are worth taking a little extra time for. Like paying attention to tax deductions and saving your receipts. Or reading a menu at a restaurant, and then looking at the prices. Or watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you know, every once in a while.
I have a story to tell you that I think will be encouraging, but I haven’t had the chance to give it the proper justice of thoughtfully typing it out. I’ve had about thirty-seven false starts on that one. I have been making pizza from scratch (sauce and dough & everything!) and lemon poppyseed muffins and doing crock pot magic and enjoying Pioneer Woman’s awesome Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika. And I’ve been enjoying seeing the boys enjoying their grandparents, and vice versa. And those are good things.
But behind the scenes, the Lord has been busy making molehills out of some of those mountains I’ve been telling you about. I am encouraged, and I think you will be too.
In the meantime, please enjoy a slice of life ’round here at the moment. And if you’re keen for the big long story of God making molehills out of mountains… let me get back to you on that.
Cootchie-cootchie-coooooo.
My African baby-wearing skills have not yet been perfected.
That “It’s a Girl” balloon is NOT mine. Not this week anyway.
Wassup?
Happy Weekend!
xCC
Jun 1, 2011 | Stories, The Good Word
There’s an email forward that has made its way through my inbox a few times recently with a simple illustration that really resonates with me. Understandably so, it has to do with baking.
As the story goes, a young girl is chatting with her Mom who’s baking a cake in the kitchen. She’s complaining and upset about the challenges in her life at the moment…breaking up with her boyfriend, struggling at school, unpleasantries in her friendship circle. Quality teen angst, ya know.
The girl’s mother pauses to ask her if she’d like some cake, and she is quick to say that she most certainly would. The mother then offers her an egg, some cooking oil, some flour, even a taste of baking soda. She is repulsed by the idea of trying any of those ingredients on their own.
Her Mom explains that any of those things might seem bad all by themselves, but if you put them all together the right way, they’ll make a delicious and wonderful cake.
Amen.
Our lives are in transition at the moment, and the transition is constantly bringing me to a place where I am taking the time to evaluate. The past few years have brought us some high highs and some low lows. And there are some places where I look back and think “I kind of wish it wasn’t like that” or “That was a really hard thing to walk through.”
But already, I am catching glimpses of God’s beautiful plan, and I’m beginning to see that things I thought were challenges have actually been opportunities.
The challenge of tight finances has taught me to be a more creative and a better cook. It has taught me the value of money in a way I never understood it before. It has curbed my previously ravenous materialism. {And, more important, I’ve learned to trust God more fully, day by day.}
The challenge of a season of loneliness has built strength and fortitude into my marriage.
The challenge of being far away from and missing family has caused me to rightly place higher value on family than I ever did before.
In isolation, these challenges seemed like ingredients that would quickly combine to create a bowlful of disappointment, depression, pessimism and even bitterness. But in the hands of an amazing God, I have chocolate chip muffins of hope and ooey-gooey brownies of patience. I have a rich and filling Carrot Cake of faith with peace and joy whipped together as Cream-Cheese-Frosting on top.
It’s amazing to stand back and consider the ingredients He has combined to bring about these beautiful results. It all would have flopped in the hands of a lesser baker.
I encourage you to trust Him during the trials and tribulations, the disappointments and even the disasters you’re facing right now. In God’s mixing bowl, this is the stuff the sweetest gifts in life are made of.
xCC
{ Romans 8:28 }
May 30, 2011 | Stories
It was a quiet little Monday on this here frontier, as we gymed — I want that to be a verb, but it looks funny — planned, and started to do a little packing. Goodness gracious I am sentimental about some stuff and need to let it go!
{Look! It’s me, happy when our stuff arrived here in Gordon’s Bay, all the way from Scotland…yay! It’s before I found out two plates and two bowls from our wedding china were broken and four more were chipped…boo! But look! I got back into those jeans last week…yay! But muffin top joined the reunion…booo!}
We are enjoying our time with Goo-Goo and Gammy, which means I am spending lots of time in the kitchen and I am really really enjoying it. My traditional repertoire is a little on the spicy side, so having HH’s sweet parentals down for two weeks forces me to break out of my spicy-as-an-occasional-substitute-for-taste habits and try some new things.
So far I’ve added Lemon-Caper Chicken and Lemon Risotto to the playbook. {They brought me lemons from Bloemfontein and I’m putting them to good use!} Rest assured I didn’t precisely follow those recipes. (Have I told you I’m allergic to precisely following recipes?) And I made an avocado-base pizza with roasted peppers and barbecue chicken. And mozzarella. Totally from scratch. Even the dough. My superwoman t-shirt arrives on Thursday.
And Pioneer Woman coached me on the pizza dough, and had a couple of other suggestions for me, which is why she’s my new best friend. Even though she’s busy with a new cooking show coming up, and keeping her awesome blog hopping, and signing cookbooks, and taking pretty pictures, and talking ’bout her dog, and whatever else is happening on the ranch, she still helped me out with another recipe or two for this week, and I just think that’s great. I might e’en cook some beef with some beer tomorrow.
So. I don’t have too much profound food-for-thought this Monday evening. But here are three things in case you just need this post to have a higher word count, like I do:
1. Baby Blake was a super-sweetie-pie at the dedication. And the Bear behaved himself rather well, too! Such life-giving words and prayers were spoken over him. It was lekker.
2. Hero Hubs posted a pretty new photo at Quiver Tree. Maybe you can mosey on over there and take a gander. And maybe it belongs on your fridge. Maybe I’m just chit-chatting.
3. I got a really bad perm in the fifth grade. Going through pictures today, I realised I repeated the mistake around the time I finished my first Master’s Degree. It’s good to learn from your mistakes. Instead of repeating them.
I bet Pioneer Woman would’ve stopped me.
xCC
May 28, 2011 | Stories, The Parenthood
I occasionally freak out. I recently discovered that I can get so weighed down under stress I feel like I might be sick. I crack my fingers (the way other people crack their knuckles) when I’m thinking, I comfort eat too often, and I am probably addicted to q-tips. (Not Q-Tip, the rapper, but the things you use to clean your ears. Just to clarify.)
And these days, every once in a while, though I’m doing a decent job of playing it cool, the mountains looming in front of us feel big. I sit across from Hero Hubs at Wimpy, where we drink a coffee and share a donut, and I stare at him with big, bewildered eyes, and he holds me steady with a phrase he’s been saying since our dating days:
God’s got us.
But I realise if I don’t tell you that this walk of faith doesn’t always look like me sitting on a sunny patch of grass somewhere pondering a proverb while both my boys are peacefully napping and fresh-baked cookies are cooling on a rack, you just won’t know. And the whisper might come your way that everyone else can handle stress, financial hardship, motherhood, or whatever life throws them without freaking out, except you.
And that’s a lie from the pit.
I had a deep conversation with a good friend recently where I shared a bit about some of the mountains we’re facing and trusting God to scale. When I told her that financially we weren’t really sure how this upcoming move was going to come together (though we trust that it will) and that we were in a hard place, she responded in a way I didn’t expect. She said “I’d be mad if I found out you were in a difficult situation and there was something I could’ve done to help but you didn’t tell me.”
It struck me as a completely logical statement, though I’d never thought of it that way before.
You see, the Hubs and I have raised our own support to do the ministry we’ve been doing here in South Africa, and before that in Scotland. Though a part of our support will come from Global Impact when he transitions to the new job in the US, we’ll still be raising support in order to reach a reasonable salary for his work. And after six years on the mission field, it sometimes gets harder to ask, rather than easier.
Even though it’s a calling, and developing a partnership team to help make your ministry possible is a part of the calling, it’s also a challenge, and sometimes it’s just plain hard. My emotions are as mixed up as the Bear’s toss-it-all-in toy box sometimes, when I’m just preparing to write a newsletter or make a phone call.
But it seems to me that this is a part of the process the Lord has been taking me on for a while. He says something, or does something, or somehow helps me through something. I share it with you, and it seems like the Lord is using it in both our lives, and that’s encouraging. I share because I think if I’m there, or I’ve been there, someone else probably is or has been, too. And then you’re kind enough to confirm my suspicions, and that sure is nice.
So there are two things I want to tell you today, because I’ve been reminded that if I don’t tell you, you won’t know. And I don’t want to make you mad because I didn’t tell you.
1. I freak out, too. Wherever you are and whatever you’re struggling through right now, know that you’re not alone. Be encouraged that life isn’t about always getting everything just right, and Motherhood isn’t graded on a curve. Everybody occasionally walks through circumstances that bring out a big, scared, stare-at-the-ceiling-how-the-heck-am-I-gonna-survive-this cry. And if you’re anything like me, and you like to “put your best face forward” please, please remember that you’ve gotta let your guard down sometimes. Be honest when it’s hard. Share. Bare that big beautiful soul.
And now, I shall follow my own advice.
2. We’re about to make a transcontinental move. Some doors are closing. Other doors are opening. The ones that are opening are on the other side of an ocean. It’s going to cost money we don’t have yet, but we are confident that God is going to provide. If you want to be a part of helping this missionary head to a new field, right at home, and bring her Legal Alien and little ones with her, it would be a blessing, indeed. You can find out the details for how to do so right here.
3. If you’re the praying kind, can I ask for your prayers? This transition sometimes feels like a fight on every front. It’s a spiritual battle. It’s an emotional struggle. It’s a financial challenge. We want to love and honour our parents, bless our children, and above all follow the Lord. Pray however you feel directed. We trust that as our prayers meet God’s power, God will make a way.
Whew. Glad I got that off my chest. So. Wanna go bake some cookies?
xCC
May 21, 2011 | Stories
Hey guys and dolls. Hope your weekend is going well. I have a little bit of happy to share with you! Besides the fact that Goo-Goo and Gammy are arriving today and the Bear is super-excited. And the fact that it’s Saturday, and that’s just a good thing all on its own.
So. Some of you probably aren’t aware that the photography used on this site is home-grown stuff. I would say about 4% of the photos you see here have been snapped by yours truly. I know. I deserve a huge pat on the back. And the creative genius behind the other 96% is one Señor Hero Hubs.
Heckuva guy, y’all.
After some encouragement, mayhaps a little prodding, but not much, Hero Hubs has finally decided to make a little extra effort in sharing his photography skills with these world wide internets. I think it’s a creative outlet that comes at a really good time — job changes and moving top the list of stress causers, and we’ve got that going on right now. Again. I retreat to my favourite medium — words — and he can dig his hands into his — photography.
His scrumdiddlyumptious new site, Quiver Tree Photography, generally features one wide-screen, five star photo in each post, with a backstory. Which is rather nice, because you see a lot of the photos here but don’t get to know much about them — they’re like untold stories swimming in a sea of all the things that I have to say ’round these parts. And I sure do have a lot to say. But don’t they deserve a chance to shine, too?
Gosh, I’m a tired Mama and I digress.
Back to the subject. Here’s my favourite thing about the new site that I want to tell you. On a reasonably regular basis, the Hubs snaps a shot that I want. Like framed and hanging in my kitchen. Like that bird up there that has been my favourite for about six weeks. No, he took it before Baby Brother was born so three months. Well, HH has a nifty thingamabob installed which enables all you sweet potato friends to use the photos on his site to send free e-cards, create a sweet greeting card, or buy a professional quality print. You know, to hang in your kitchen.
And when you purchase a photo to enjoy whilst washing dishes or making Thai Shepherd’s Pie, you’ll be supporting our ministry, as we embark upon the adventure that awaits us. And you’ll live happily ever after.
So, will ya do me a favour on this bright and hopefully sunny Saturday? Please visit Quiver Tree Photography and send the Hubs some love. If you’re on Facebook and you take a moment to “like” his fan page, I will give you a hug next time I see you, because he’s like a kid in a candy store every time he gets another like.
But if you like his fan page and you haven’t liked mine, my feelings are gonna be hurt. Just saying.
So now you know the scoop: if you see a photo round these parts and you want the backstory, leave a comment. I’m sure HH will be glad to take an order, post the photo and share the story with you, and then you can hang it on your fridge or share it with someone else! (And a side note in case you’re wondering: the watermark that you see on the photos when you view them on the site will not be there if you order a print.)
Happy Saturday!
xCC
May 11, 2011 | Stories, The Good Word
I‘ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again: it was one of those days. The ones where tiredness leads to grouchiness and grouchiness leads to frustratedness and frustratedness leads to a complete lack of graciousness. The older one reacts to my grump-grumps with grump-grumps of his own, and before you know it what started out as a fun activity — baking muffins together — ends with him getting such a hand pop his response wakes the baby and my hand is still smarting a few minutes later at the lunch table. And I find myself struggling to discipline with the grace we set out to do it with and Ann Voskamp’s wise words are ringing in my ears: First connect, then direct and I see that I’m struggling to connect at all.
I am not perfect. I didn’t need a reminder.
He asks to go for his nap — an unusual moment that feels like grace and only makes sense when I remember how early he woke up with his little cough this morning. And finally I am downstairs on the floor, patting the other one swaddled and cuddled in an armchair to help him keep sleeping.
I pull the Bible onto the floor in front of me where I can read and keep patting, and just want to say, “Help!” Not sure what I’m looking for, I happen to open to Psalm 40:
“I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit; Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.”
Before I’ve finished reading these first two verses I’m asking the question:
But, Lord, what if I dug this pit myself?
What if choosing the wrong priorities and not going to bed early enough and focusing too much on the less important at the expense of the more important is what got me here? I’m tired and grouchy and lacking in peace and grace, and let’s be honest, it’s my own doing.
Somehow I thought it was probably okay — even if I dug the pit myself, He’d lift me out of it. But in case I wasn’t confident enough these words found me a few hours later:
“The Lord upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down.” {Psalm 145:14}
And there I was on the carpet. Bowed down. Patting the baby to sleep and asking the Lord to meet me. In the pit I dug myself, if He was willing.
And He did.
And that 5×7 of Thankfulness showed up, and started putting a new frame around things. And thankfulness made way for peacefulness, and peacefulness for grace and grace for my own imperfections helped show grouchy and grumpy the door.
By the time the Bear woke up from that early afternoon nap, I was there to cuddle him, tell him I love him, and gently carry him downstairs for the juice he was already requesting. And when he wanted that juice cup (the one he always spills if he drinks from it without the cap) and he wanted to drink from that juice cup without the cap, grace showed up and helped me diffuse the situation.
Ours is a God who
lifts up the humble
raises those who are bowed down
upholds all who fall
and even brings us up out of the pit when we’ve dug it ourselves.
And it doesn’t take sackcloth and ashes or hours on bended knee. Taking a moment to look up from the carpet is enough, when you’re in the pits.
xCC
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