Time for a Baby!

The kids are at the hospital and it looks like we will be ringing in the New Year with a new little grandbaby.  We are so excited to meet "Bump!"

Love Came Down At Christmas

the cross in christmas from tammi dryden on Vimeo.

Rejoicing In The Wonder and Awe of God

    Was there a moment, known only to God, when all the stars held their breath, when the galaxies paused in their dance for a fraction of a second, and the Word, who had called it all into being, went with all his love into the womb of a young girl, and the universe started to breathe again, and the ancient harmonies resumed their song, and the angels clapped their hands for joy?

     Power.  Greater power than we can imagine, abandoned, as the Word knew the powerlessness of the unborn child...

    Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, Christ, the Maker of the universe or perhaps many universes, willingly and lovingly leaving all that power and coming to this poor, sin-filled planet to live with us for a few years to show us what we ought to be and could be.....to show us what it means to be made in God's image.

~Madeleine L'Engle

Waiting...

Earlier this month I read a Christmas devotion written by Henri Nouwen titled “Waiting for God.” If this small sample is how he writes, I may have discovered another favorite Christian writer!  (Note to self: after Christmas, look up some of his books.) This particular Advent thought—waiting--has captured my attention and kept my thoughts as the days of December have passed by.

Perhaps--well, I know--it is because we, as a family, are waiting for the arrival of a baby, a grandbaby. Our baby is not the long awaited Messiah, but we are waiting just the same, so when I read about Zechariah and Elizabeth waiting for their miracle baby--John; and Mary waiting; and Simeon and Anna waiting, I have entered into the Christmas story this year in a new and dynamic way: I am waiting too! For a baby!


Waiting—with a sense of promise. “People who wait have received a promise that allows them to wait. They have received something that is at work in them….”

Waiting—actively. “…to be present fully to the moment, in the conviction that something is happening where you are and that you want to be present to it.”

Waiting—patiently. “…the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us.”

Waiting—with hope. “Hope is trusting that something will be fulfilled, but fulfilled according to the promises and not just according to our wishes.”

We wait with joy in our hearts to celebrate God’s gift of love to us, His Son Jesus; Immanuel, God With Us.


And we wait with joy to welcome another of God’s gifts to us: a new baby into our family.

Prepare Your Hearts, Watch For the Light

"The first candle on the Advent wreath is the candle of hope.  When we light the candle of hope--in the Advent wreath or in our hearts--we kindle a flame of expectant anticipation that something rich, something special, is on its way."     ~ Beth A. Richardson

Thankful - Days 23, 24 and 25

Dear America,

Today is Thanksgiving Day – a day deeply rooted in our country’s history, a day affirmed by many presidents (beginning with George Washington), a day set apart for gratitude. And this thanks must be “given,” and if given, given to someone—The Lord God. Yes, as a nation, today is the day we give thanks to God Almighty for His many blessings to us personally and as nation.

Please set aside your strategy plans for Black Friday and truly give thanks for your many blessings as you enjoy being together with loved ones .

Does having this one day set aside for giving thanks work against us?  Maybe.  By that I mean, giving thanks today is scheduled—it’s on the calendar. The bigger challenge is having a heart of gratitude daily, as a way of life. As Christians, we are called to live a life of gratitude every day.

…we are to do and say everything "giving thanks" to God the Father through Jesus. This doesn't mean that we are to stop every action and every conversation in order to offer a literal prayer of thanks to God. Rather, we are to act and speak thankfully. We are to live each moment with an awareness of God's grace at work in our lives and in the world. Sometimes we will express our gratitude to God or to others. But even when we're silent, we are to receive all of life and do all that we do with an awareness that we are living by grace.

Living thankfully gives God the credit he deserves, and that's sufficient reason to do it. But living thankfully also transforms us. It gives us a deeper appreciation of life. It steers us away from focusing too much on our struggles. It enables us to see God's presence even in hard times. It motivates us to live each moment of each day for God and his glory.                                                     (~Mark D. Roberts, The High Calling)

                                                                                
 Help us to be thankful to You, Lord,  in all that we do and say, every day, and may thanksgiving become a true habit of mind, heart, and action.

Thankful - Day 22

Our distinctly American celebration reminds us of the importance of gratitude even in tough times. Abraham Lincoln who, in the midst of the Civil War, re-established our annual celebration of Thanksgiving. While facing tremendous national and personal distress, Lincoln had learned how important it is to stop and thank God.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that [the gifts of God] should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.                               ~ Abraham Lincoln

Following Lincoln's example, even in the midst of challenging times, we need to take time to thank God for all He has done for us individually, for our families, our communities and our nation. Even this month's elections remind us to be thankful for the opportunity to vote and elect people of character and integrity in our land.

 (Adapted from CitizenLink)

Thankful - Day 21

Thankful for humor and laughter that refreshes our lives.  (And maybe thankful that I am not Cousin Reginald....or the turkey!)  (Also really thankful for the Butterball turkey I can get at Safeway without the aid of an axe!)

Thankful - Day 20

Giving thanks to the God of all creation for His love, mercy and favor in our lives, and in the lives of our families, friends and country.

 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."
                                                                   Psalm 107:9 (NIV)

Thankful - Day 19

Remembering the spirit, courage, and faith of the Christians who came to America on the Mayflower.  During their first harsh winter here, half of their people died.  The survivors remained steadfast in their new land of refuge which allowed them to worship God freely.  Squanto and other friendly Indians helped them plant and raise corn, and other crops so that the following year, the Plymouth colonists had a plentiful harvest.  In gratitude to God they celebrated three days of "thanksgiving" for their harvest.  

Thank you, Lord, for your provision in every area of our lives.

"FIVE KERNELS OF CORN"      by Hezekiah Butterworth

'Twas the year of the famine in Plymouth of old,

The ice and the snow from the thatched roofs had rolled;

Through the warm purple skies steered the geese o'er the seas,

And the woodpeckers tapped in the clocks of the trees;

And the boughs on the slopes to the south winds lay bare,

and dreaming of summer, the buds swelled in the air.

The pale Pilgrims welcomed each reddening morn;

There were left but for rations Five Kernels of Corn.

Five Kernels of Corn!

Five Kernels of Corn!

But to Bradford a feast were Five Kernels of Corn!

"The raven's gift eat and be humble and pray,

A new light is breaking and Truth leads your way;

One taper a thousand shall kindle; rejoice

That to you has been given the wilderness voice!"

O Bradford of Austerfield, daring the wave,

And safe through the sounding blasts leading the brave,

Of deeds such as thine was the free nation born,

And the festal world sings the "Five Kernels of Corn."

Five Kernels of Corn!

Five Kernels of Corn!

The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!

Thankful - Day 18

"Think where man's glory most begins and ends, And say my glory was I had such friends."

                   - William Yeats

It's always a special treat to talk on the phone and "catch up" with special friends who are miles away.  Today I was able to do that!  That made me think about the wonderful people the Lord has brought into my life and allowed me to call "friend."  I am so thankful for each of them.

"Ah, how good it feels...the hand of an old friend"

- Mary Englebright

Speaking of friends, we are excited to see friends Tom and Becky  - they are stopping by after Thanksgiving on the way home from a trip to Quincey.   We will get a picture of them when they are here! 

"I count myself in nothing else so happy

As in a soul rememb'ring my good friends."

         - William Shakespeare

"Never shall I forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours."

                   - Ludwig van Beethoven

Thankful - Days 16 and 17

I'm thankful for my wonderful daughter-in-law who has been a real trooper through this first pregnancy and is only 7 weeks or less away from delivery!  (Chelsea would want to put emphasis on the or less part!)

Here is a picture of "Bump*."  This picture was taken a few months ago, so Bump is much bigger now, (right, Chelsea?)  But doesn't that little profile look cute?  I'm thankful and excited to meet "Bump" and to become a Grandparent!

*Our grandbaby has been affectionately referred to as "Bump" these past 7 1/2 months, because we don't know if the baby's a he or a she......but we will soon!

Thankful - Day 15

‎"'You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,'" said the Lion."
                                ~ C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair


I'm thankful for the great writings of C.S. Lewis.  I am amazed at the way he slips such theologically profound ideas into his children's books. 

Thankful - Day 14

I'm so very thankful for the big crowd of people who showed up to assemble care packages to send off to deployed soldiers who are on our Prayer Wall at church.  We sorted donated items and then went to work in assembly-line fashion putting together the boxes.  The packing started at 2:00pm and by 3:30 we had 36 boxes sealed and ready to go!  The soldiers will be so blessed. 

Thankful - Day 13

Have you ever stood in awe of a beautiful sunset or hiked a wilderness trail through pine trees and emerged into a valley to view the spectacular and majestic surrounding mountains?  How about the resplendent falls and peaks at Yosemite or the rocky Oregon coast or a starry night sky?  Think about the magnificence of God's creation. 

Why did God make our world so beautiful, so amazing?  1 Timothy tells us that God created our world "to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth."

    Thank you, God.

Thankful - Day 12

Thankful for a beautiful relaxing fall afternoon watching Natalie ride at Oak Creek Stables.  Then, driving into Loomis we found some riding breeches on sale!

Here's to the Heroes

Thankful - Day 11

 Eric, Gabe, Steve, Holly, Dan, Uncle Robin, Nikki, Jonathan, Steven, Tom, Dave: we are thankful for your service to our country!

I'm thankful for our great nation whose freedom is protected by our Armed Forces.

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
                                                                   — John Stuart Mill (1868)

Thankful - Day 10

Thankful for the beautiful fall colors and the crisp fall temperatures.

Thankful - Day 9

In studying for my Lit class tomorrow, I am reading 'Paul Revere's Ride' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  It is such a masterful poem!   Longfellow wrote in the literary style called American Romanticism.  Interestingly, the poem recounts this key Revolutionary War event, and was published on the eve of the Civil War.  At a time of national upheaval, people seized on Paul Revere as an example of the country's noble past.  The cause of liberty and unity, the sense of determination and courage are all parts of our American heritage.  We would do well to read and re-read this poem today.

I'm thankful that an inspired Longfellow penned this piece and that my students will get to experience this wonderful poem!


"For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere."

Thankful - Day 8

I love listening to the sounds of girls laughing and talking and having fun playing Yahtzee at the kitchen table.

Pride and Prejudice Dress Project

Here are some pictures of the Pride & Prejudice era dress that I finished for Natalie.  The kids attending the dance were to dress in a "period" style of their choosing, so there was a variety of eras represented. Natalie and a couple of her friends chose to go with "Pride & Prejudice."

Obviously, I have not attempted to sew a garment in a long time because this pattern (which seemed so simple in the picture) was really challenging in some places.   After some frustration and problem-solving, I got the dress done and Natalie was happy with it.  I am not eager to sew another dress anytime soon.....Baby quilts here I come!

Thankful - Day 7

Yay for an extra hour of sleep and a relaxing day today.  Plus, Kristin's Bed Bath & Beyond store had a special sale with great discounts, so we drove down to Folsom, got some Christmas shopping done, and brought Kristin home for a visit!   

Thankful - Day 6

Natalie and I enjoyed a fun day up at Apple Hill last Tuesday. The foothills were beautiful and the weather was perfect! After the tour we had some of the yummy fresh pressed cider and tried to resist all the amazing goodies. We bought some golden delicious apples, a jug of cider, and some apple donuts to bring home.  Thankful to be able to enjoy a beautiful fall day with my daughter and eat the best golden delicious apples.

Thankful-Day 5

I am thankful that the "Pride and Prejudice" era dress that I was making for Natalie will actually work for her dance tomorrow night! After I finished most of it, it wasn't fitting right.... so we were really disappointed. But after some thought, I mustered up enough courage to make some changes on it, and that has made all the difference! Yay! Happy Mom and Happy Daughter! Thank you Lord for giving me patience and perseverance as I sew.

The Season of Thankfulness

My daughter-in-law and some of her friends who blog have decided to post something they are thankful for each day during the month of November. And, since this is such a great idea, I thought I would join them! Here's my list to catch up to today, November 4th!

Things I am thankful for:

~Eric getting to come for a short visit. We went to the Lakers/Kings basketball game last night and had a great time....(I hope to add a post on the game with pictures soon)

~Still thinking about the beautiful sunrise I saw this morning!

~So very thankful that God is in control, and not the voters of California.

~Glad to be done with Halloween and on to the best holidays of the year. (Although I do love It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown...especially Sally and Linus in the Pumpkin Patch.)

~Excited that along with the Christmas holidays a new Grandbaby will arrive!

Thanks Chelsea and Mari for the idea of blogging thankfulness through November- what a great way to count our blessings.

(And yes, I realize I posted 5 items, not 4, for the first 4 days of November - but there is always an abundance of things to be thankful for!)

Fall, School, and Schedules!

Just noticed that September is coming to a close (how did that happen?), and I did not write a post (not one!) during the entire month! So here I am on September 30th squeaking one in.

It seems I have been off and running since my return from Romania. After having such an amazing experience, there was the usual decompression time, and even a melancholy-ness that surrounded me for a while. Sometimes responsibilities, schedules, new drivers(!),and new babies on the way are just what you need to push you back into the routine here at home!

Yes, Natalie has started her Junior year of High School and along with that, some changes for her. After much soul-searching, she decided to "move on" from competitive gymnastics. The combination of not planning to do gymnastics in college and the desire to have time to experience some other activities while in high school played a part in her decision. And, the Romania trip played a part in her decision too. While she misses the girls on the team, she has filled in her "blank" schedule quite nicely (and it is anything but blank now!). I even wonder now how we ever managed to get to gym practice 4 times per week! She has enjoyed taking once a week riding lessons at a training stable nearby and also now is involved with a dance/drama team. She is also a part of the student leadership in her Youth Group. And, oh yes, we are doing SCHOOL and soon ACT preparation and Romanian language classes and driving for Driver's Ed!

I am teaching an American Literature class for the High School co-op and enjoying it....mostly. I am realizing how little American Lit I had in H.S. or college! But the good thing is......I'm learning it now! Staying ahead with the Lesson planning is really the big challenge for me. And also, learning how to ask the right questions for the class discussions. I'm also teaching a Writing class.

Amongst all this I have moved my sewing machine up to Kristin's room. She moved out in July and is settled in a nice condo in Folsom. (We see her often which is nice. Sometimes we wonder if she misses us, or has just run short on her grocery budget...! Either way, it's fine with us!) So, in my new "sewing room" I am working on a couple of projects: a quilt top for Natalie and a baby quilt for the new baby! I am almost done with the quilt top, so I can then start on the baby's quilt! YAY!

For my birthday, Chris surprised me with a new laptop computer! It is really nice and I have been having fun getting acquainted with it. No matter how great your old computer was, when a new one arrives you feel like you are light years ahead in technology! Which in most cases, means you are now up to speed with where you should have been. The new computer came accompanied by a new wireless printer. Yep, I press the Print button on my laptop in the kitchen, and presto! my document is printed. This has been a great help in my class preparation. Speaking of that....off to read Ben Franklin and Washington Irving!

Home From Romania

Natalie and I and our team returned home from Romania late last Friday night, the 6th. We had an amazing, wonderful, busy two weeks. So, I am trying to decide where to begin....the ministry of Heart2Heart and the orphan kids themselves is really the heart of our experience, but I will start with a few pictures of our initial glimpses of Bucharest first.

Here is our 14-member team loading our luggage (plus 19 18-gallon bins) into 3 vehicles (!) at the Bucharest Airport. We were giving thanks that not one piece of luggage got lost from San Francisco to Detroit to Amsterdam to Bucharest! And, amazingly, all luggage and people fit into the vehicles for the 20 minute drive to the Team House.


Here is a view from the airport parking lot, looking towards the city, I think. After I took these I found out that the airport security does not like people taking pictures at the airport. Even though the Romanian Revolution was in 1989, Communist oppression, still effects this country.


This is the Team House, our home away from home:


Here are some views of inside the Team House:










Our first Camp with the children was held at this house in the nearby town of Snagov:

About 16 children from two different orphanages were bused to Snagov and spent 3 fun-filled days with us. They slept 4 to a tent outside, which I'm sure was a first for many, if not all of them. We played games, did Bible skits, made crafts, had zip-line rides, a Slip n Slide and ended with a pool party--all of which created smiles on little faces the 3 days we were together. Here are some pictures of the sweet faces we got to hug and love-
















This was just the first of our three camps, each with kids that stole our hearts. It was such a joy to get to lavish love on these little ones who have so little themselves. We, who have so much, were prepared to give to these children, and were doubly blessed by the love and joy we ended up receiving from them.