Evening Snow

And the snow,

while it is here,

reminds us of this:

that nothing lasts forever

except memories.

~from Snow

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Shall We Dance?

When we first come to a relationship in Christ as an adult, whether that's through maturing in faith or through a conversion, we are on fire. There is no lukewarm, mediocre feeling. There is fire. There is an urge to shout for joy, to do His work, to join the choir and sing His praises from the rooftops. And then, we settle in. We commit. We live the Christian life day in and day out. We know joy, but sometimes, we grow weary and the fire grows a little cooler. Life happens. We are asked to take turns we didn't know were there and climb hills that seem steeper than we even knew possible. Calm confidence evades us and though we are joyful deep-down, we're not exactly dancing a happy dance.

Because we are committed to a life in Christ, our hearts are restless. We want to rest in Him. We want to feel joyful. Still, our souls are hungry and our spirits are weary.

I've been there.

The first time I was there, I had four young children and a major case of burnout. As I battled back, I kept notes. I shared those notes in a talk at a conference. While shopping at the conference, a lady who had heard my talk introduced me to a book. More importantly, she introduced me to a mentor. I went home, read Educating the WholeHearted Child and was forever changed. That was the weekend I "met" Sally Clarkson.

Sally Clarkson is a woman of vision. A woman of conviction.

I inhaled everything she'd written or spoken (this was back in the day of "just books" and audio cassette tapes--no blogs or podcasts:-). The following year, I wanted to talk about whole books education at that same conference. I took a chance, sent Sally some things I'd written, and asked her if I could have a WholeHearted table for her when I spoke. Then I forgot all about it.

One February day (exactly 11 years ago), when I was bringing my fifth baby home from the hospital, the phone rang as we walked in the door. Mike juggled the infant seat, I went for the couch, and  Michael headed for the phone. "Just tell whomever it is I'll call her back."

"Mom," he said, his hand over the receiver, "it's Sally Clarkson."

I took that call:-). Sally told me--briefly--about her time in Poland, her fondness for Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, and her vision for ministry.And then she told me to inhale deeply the sweetness of my baby.  Over the years, we have kept in touch sporadically and she has continued to mentor me through her many books. Recently, the blogosphere has blessed us with connection. So, it was with great pleasure that I agreed to read an advance copy of her new book Dancing with my Father.

And once again, her timing was perfect. She found me in a low place and like the best of mentors, lifted me up and challenged me onward. She equipped me with wisdom and example and inspiration-- and just a little bit of a kick in the pants.

This is a book of vision; a book of the joy that comes with loving well. It's a  breath of fresh air for weary travelers on the ministry road. Withcharacteristic grace and wisdom, Sally Clarkson acknowledges that even the most devoted Christian suffers discouragement, disappointment, and disillusionment. She meets us in our crashed idealism and burnout—but she doesn't leave us there. With God at her side, she leads us to the gentle peace and quiet trust of a mature Christian. Dancing with my Father will challenge you to think the thoughts, pray the prayers, and do the work that will bring you to a better understanding of the magnificent dance the Lord of Love has choreographed for you.

Can  you hear the music? He wants to have this dance...

Birthday Cake

Devil's Food Cake

Peppermint Buttercream Filling

Very Thickly Spread Peppermint Buttercream

 

Topped with Chocolate Ganache that didn't have enough time to cool

 

so it puddled in luscious chocolate pools.

Awesome!

Charlotte recently made the same cake and there is a link to the recipe on her blog.

I made it with extract and not Schnapps and doubled the filling amount.

Happy Birthday, Stephen!

Today, you are 11. And I know that you hope that means I will stop referring to you as one of the "little boys." Not a chance;-)! You are forever my little boy. You are the little baby who woke up promptly at 3AM every morning for months, lulling me into a habit of snuggling alone with you on the couch in the wee hours. I think you knew that someday you be the "middlest" and that you needed to seize your opportunities for spoiling early and often. And I think I knew you were the best snuggler ever.  When you were two or three, you insisted we call you "Superman." And because you really are rather spoiled, we still do. You're Super in every way. Have a super birthday!

 

~

Rocking the Super Beat with Dad and Nick in Seattle.

The Snowy Day Daybook

Outside My Window::

::a sparkling winter wonderland of fluffy light snow

I am Listening to::

::big boys entertaining Sarah Annie.

I am wearing ::

:: corduroys, a Hanna Andersson ski sweater that is older than 7 of my children (does that make it vintage?), warm socks...

I am Thankful For::

::piles of blankets on a well made wintertime bed. I'm a total sucker for linens and quilts.

I am Pondering:

::St. John Bosco on training children:

The repressive system may stop a disorder, but can hardly make the offenders better. Experience teaches that the young do not easily forget the punishments they have received, and for the most part foster bitter feelings, along with the desire to throw off the yoke and even to seek revenge. They may sometimes appear to be quite unaffected, but anyone that follows them as they grow up knows that the reminiscences of youth are terrible, and some have even been known in later years to have had recourse to brutal vengeance for chastisements they had justly deserved during the course of their education.

"In the preventive system, on the contrary, the pupil becomes a friend, and the assistant, a benefactor who advises him, has his good at heart, and wishes to spare him vexation, punishment, and perhaps dishonour. By the preventive system pupils acquire a better understanding, So that an educator can always speak to them in the language of the heart, not only during the time of their education but even afterwards. Having once succeeded in gaining the confidence of his pupils he can subsequently exercise a great influence over them, and counsel them, advise and even correct them, whatever position they may occupy in the world later on.

For these and many other reasons it seems that the preventive system should be preferred to the repressive".

I am Reading:

::The Gift of an Ordinary Day

From the Kitchen::

::snow ice cream:-)

I am Thinking:

::About this video. And because some of you have insisted on full disclosure about such things:  I have loved Katrina Kenison since I was a mother with three little boys and only one girl,  since before the internet, but I kept Mittenstrings for God near and dear to my heart, steadfastly avoiding online conversations of it a couple years back, lest they end badly. In Mittenstrings, Katrina gratefully acknowledges the influence of Waldorf education and Rudolf Steiner. 'Twould be a shame if you didn't hear what she's saying because you've eschewed all things remotely Waldorf, but I offer you the fair disclosure that it's so.

This video is beautiful and rings clearly with truth.

I am Creating::

::Photo books at Snapfish and I am so thrilled with them!

On my iPod::

:: I am finding that it takes iBreviary, Universalis Lite, and Divine Office to really put together a Liturgy of the Hours program that works for me and doesn't have gaps or glitches.

Towards a Real Education::

::We are settling into a pure Charlotte Mason February. That means we're hunkering down and digging deep and lighting fires instead of filling buckets.

Towards Rhythm and Beauty:

::All the blinds are up today to let the bright, snowy sunlight in.

::To Live the Liturgy:

::Today we celebrate the feast of the patron of our home education adventure: St. John Bosco.

:Daily Mass four days this week.

:Candles to be blessed for Candlemas on Tuesday.

::confession on Saturday.

:Oh, and an order to King Arthur Flour to provision before St. Valentine's day.  Someone mentioned homemade Oreos and creme brulee just before he boarded a plane to the sunny south. I was reading some of the comments here, and thought to myself that it sure is a shame to turn up one's nose at a perfectly good excuse to celebrate love. We should not let a single one of those slip by. So, I'm definitely giving serious consideration to all things chocolate and to sweet heart-shaped ramekins for creme brulee.

::I am Hoping and Praying:

::For Mike as he works long days far from home .

In the Garden:

::It's cold and white and a half dozen soccer balls sit forlornly in the backyard goals.

Around the House:

::The contractor is currently AWOL, with about 400 square feet of flooring left to nail down and all the furniture on the main floor out place and/or draped in plastic. STILL .

On Keeping Home:

::The one thing I miss most of all is eating dinner around the table. Both tables that are big enough for all of us are inaccessible. I can't wait for a tablecloth and a civilized meal!

One of My Favorite Things:

::Snow days. Really can't get enough of them. Hot chocolate, snow ice cream, wood fires, damp and rosy cheeks. I count it all joy.

Sarah Annie this week:

::She is suddenly in love with books. She begs anyone who looks her way to read to her all day long. Look for a post a little later about her favorite books..

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week:

::Oh, good grief! Just finish these floors please! I can't plan anything else until the floors are in, I move everything back into place and I finally dust every. single. surface. The limbo of it all is starting to make me nuts.

A Picture Thought I'm sharing:

The utter joy of chocolate chip pancakes:-)!