Birthday week

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I wasn’t going to say anything, but it’s too sweet not to share! (I just didn’t want this to come across as an attention-seeking, don’t-forget-my-birthday-is-coming-up type of post.) With that caveat behind us, I have to tell you about the week-long present that the boys have arranged between themselves.

They asked what I’d like for my birthday “besides peace & quiet,” so I tossed out some ideas like a pedicure or a trip to the spa (just being silly, b/c they were talking about things they could buy themselves). So, one of them proposed that they could take turns giving me a back massage — one per day for five whole days! — in the week leading up to my birthday. I told them that I thought that was a LOVELY idea!

My first back massage was this evening, and although it wasn’t spa-caliber & I had to ask him not to axe-chop so hard, it was very nice for a 12yo’s effort and so thoughtful. I teased that I was just going to stay sprawled out on the couch, and he took me seriously and went to my bedroom to fetch my pillow & sheet!! 🙂

Oh, and they also said that they would make me breakfast in bed on Sunday morning, so that will be interesting. I’m hoping for No. 2’s specialty sunny-side-up eggs. 😉  Speaking of birthday meals, on the way back from tutoring tonight, No. 1 made a comment that he would take me out to eat for my birthday, but he “only has, like, five bucks.” I told him that was nice, but not necessary.

I’m thankful for the kindhearted boys with their creative present ideas!

Monday Musings: Eggnog

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I’m quite late with today’s post, but I trust you will pardon me. I was busy running the boys trick-or-treating, and then we had a special “treat” of hearing a pipe organ concert on campus. They played some spooky music and some silly music, and the boys thought it was amazing that you could play an instrument with your hands and feet. Today is, of course, Halloween. Even though the first day of autumn has already passed, this day really seems to mark the changing of the seasons to me.

Speaking of seasonal things, the boys have been clamoring for eggnog since at least September. Well, my mom finally spotted some at the grocery store this weekend and surprised us with two cartons! I need to make a batch of my low-carb version, or else I shall be doomed by the temptation. That said, here is today’s poem:

Carb overload – yikes!
Mother of holiday drinks:
I like you with rum.

(or bourbon, but that was too many syllables, LOL)

Cain’s fire drill (Prayer Devotional for the week of Oct. 30)

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It’s Fire Awareness Week at school, so the kids have drawn escape routes for our house and discussed our outdoor emergency family meeting place. They’ve also learned how to test a door before opening it, to be sure that it’s safe on the other side: you place the back of your hand against the door to feel for heat. If it’s warm, then danger lurks on the other side, and you need to exit another way.

Something as seemingly simple as a fire drill needs to be reviewed periodically, lest we become complacent and forget how important it is. This reminds me of the story of Cain and Abel from Genesis 4, which I’ve heard so many times that I made the mistake of thinking that I knew the whole tale. To my embarrassment, I realized that I’ve been overlooking a very important part of the story! Somewhere between Cain and Abel’s offerings to the Lord (whereby Abel’s was accepted and Cain’s was rejected) and the point where Cain murders his brother, something remarkable happened. It’s tucked into the story in verses 6-7:

“And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

After his sacrifice was found to be disrespectful, Cain didn’t rush right out and murder Abel. God had a talking-to with Cain first. It sounds to me like God was offering Cain a fire drill opportunity. Cain had gotten himself into a bad situation, but instead of trying to escape the mess that he’d made by choosing to do the right thing and take a route that would please God, he flung open the Danger Door and walked right into the fire.

Sin is crouching at the door. Will we check for danger signs first, or will we barge right through, pretending not to notice the warnings?

Foodie Friday: Mulling spice

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I was looking for something in the bulk aisle at the grocery store and came across a mulling spice mix of coriander, cloves, allspice, orange peel and cinnamon. I have made mulled wine before using a recipe and my own spices, but I did not care for it. This entire baggy cost only $0.42, so I figured it was worth experimenting.

Mulled Merlot

I used about a half-bottle of Pellegrini Cloverdale Valley 2007 Merlot, but if mulled wine isn’t your thing, I’m sure apple juice or cider would be yummy.

The recipe on the label suggests 1/4 c. spice mix per 1/2 gal. beverage, but I used about 1 T for my half-bottle of wine. (That’s how much fit in my tea strainer, which I used to encapsulate the mulling spice.) I brought the wine to a low boil and then turned down the heat to simmer for about five minutes. I let it cool on the stove, then poured it into the carafe. It made about two traditional cups of wine or one coffee mug’s worth. (Since it was warm, I felt like sipping it from a coffee mug instead of a wine glass.)

I wish I knew the proportions to share the recipe with you, but you might just experiment with the above mix of spices. I would go easy on the cloves, though, because that’s one of the reasons why I didn’t like the homemade batch that I tried previously. It was way too clovey.

There’s still plenty of spice mix left, so I think I’ll try a batch of apple juice and see how the boys like it.

 

When you can’t do it all yourself

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Because y’all are so kind to me and put up with my quirkiness so graciously, no one pointed out to me that I posted Writing Wednesday on Tuesday this week. Ha! I guess I was so excited to share about the writing contest that I skipped a day.

Truth is, I’ve been a wee bit stressed out lately. (And by “wee bit,” I mean quite a lot.) I haven’t dropped any extremely important balls, but I’m having to leave myself notes for things like the package that I meant to mail on Monday and haven’t yet, or the birthday party invitations for this coming weekend that I finally remembered to send to school yesterday. (That one may be a mixed blessing, actually, because there is a strict limit on the number of guests allowed, and we would be way over the limit if everyone came!)

Life: UnmaskedAll that is to say, I was just introduced to Life Unmasked (thanks, Melissa!) and thought today would be as good a day as any to get real.

Besides the usual goings-on with kids and school that I can usually juggle pretty well, there are other things happening (or not happening, as the case may be) in my life right now that leave me feeling disillusioned, disheartened and discouraged. In one of those areas, I’ve decided that I’m going to try really hard to stop complaining and make a conscious effort to be thankful in the midst of the uncertainty and frustration. I know that I’m good at what I do, whether anyone acknowledges (or even notices) it or not. Besides, I keep having to remind myself that I work for the Lord, not for men. If Jesus signed my paycheck, then perhaps my attitude would be a bit better, ya think?

As for the other area, well, I don’t know what else there is to do. I can’t fix it by myself. I try to be thankful for the little things, but the frustrating things seem to compound like the goods in Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault.