Special Birthday Present

The blank wall in our dining room has needed something on it since we moved here two years ago. I tried putting a big framed print there, but after a couple of months, I took it down. The problem was that whenever someone walked along that wall to get around the dining room table, that person would brush against the picture. The picture was always a bit askew and it really bugged me, so I removed it and hung it somewhere else.

This year for my birthday, I requested a new vinyl letter Bible verse for the wall. We already have a verse on the wall in our living room and I thought it would be nice to have something similar in the dining room. Matt ordered a new verse from Fruitful Vine Creations and put it on the wall for me a few weeks ago. He chose one of his favorite verses, a verse from Deuteronomy about not forgetting God.I've written here before about how we are trying to slowly add artwork to our home that reflects our family's desire to honor Christ. The verse on the dining room wall fits the bill beautifully and it has the added bonus of staying put. No more crooked artwork.

Quotable Quote

Joel (in a sad voice): "Mom. I was playin' with Jude and him was da human and I was da dog, but him wouldn't be da human. Him said, 'Ruff, ruff.' "

Busy Days. . .

Our friend from church, "Granny," who gifted Isaac with a lovely quilt she made especially for him, was brave enough to come visit us in our home. She and her daughter and son-in-law came here for dinner last Friday. Despite the usual Macduff family chaos (complete with Jude's repeated "cock-a-doodle-dos" during the meal), Granny has told me several times since then that she had a wonderful time.

My Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna came down last Saturday to visit. Isaac really turned on the charm for his Great Aunt Leanna--he was Mr. Smiley Man. Unfortunately, you'll have to use your imagination as to how cute Isaac was that night as our resident photographer didn't snap any pictures because she was too busy helping with dinner serving and clean up.
Isaac was baptized last Sunday. We were surrounded by family and friends as we celebrated God's abundant mercy and grace. (If you're interested in a video of the baptism click here.) We shared a nice time of fellowship at a local pizza restaurant after church. That night we had an early Valentine's Day dinner with my mom and dad. We did not repeat the fondue fiasco of 2010. We doled out the chocolate fondue in individual portions this year, which resulted in a lot fewer arguments.

Matt's Valentine's Day started out with a bang. He had to report for jury duty early that morning. The questionnaire he was required to fill out asked how many kids he had. Matt guesses that he was dismissed so quickly because he answered honestly, "seven." They probably figured he'd fall a bit on the conservative end of the spectrum. The kids gave Daddy a "heart attack" for Valentine's Day.We attended our niece Raphaella's last basketball game of the year on Tuesday. Her team got creamed, but we love her anyway.
We had some good friends over for dinner this past Friday. We fulfilled Paul's wish for a bonfire that evening and Matt and Brian had a very stimulating conversation about fuel cell technology. Yesterday I was blessed to attend a "diaper shower" given to me by the group of gals from the Bible study I attended last year. We laughed,cried, prayed and ate together--just like old times. The kids and Matt attended the monthly Macduff Family gathering while I was at the shower. Joel was amongst those folks with February birthdays and he was pleased to get more cowboy-themed gifts.
Last night my parents came to visit. Grandma Jane gave Joel a couple of foam swords for his birthday. Now when Joel and Jude give each other head thwacks (in brotherly love, of course), there's not nearly as much pain involved. The guys (Matt, Paul and my dad) then went to see the "Duck Commander" talk about his love for hunting and Jesus. They all had a good time, especially Paul. Matt was jealous of the Duck Commander's beard.
After church today, we met our good friends at a local restaurant (they're godparents to Joel and Jude). We celebrated Joel's birthday yet again. Joel's godmother has a talented cake decorating daughter-in-law who provided some awesome cupcakes for the occasion. (She also made Grace's confirmation cake this past summer.) Joel, my "nanimal" loving boy, was thrilled. What could be better than chocolate cupcakes with a menagerie of animals perched on their tops? Probably only the toy fighter plane complete with chain saws that Joel received from his godparents. The "Pajama Bible" Joel was given will be perfect for Monday nights when dad and the big kids are away at their Bible study.
Matt has had an exhausting time at work the last couple of weeks and for now, at least, home life isn't any less exhausting. Is it any wonder this is how we found him at 7:00 tonight?

Joel Bobby is Four

We celebrated our little cowboy's birthday today. Joel is very excited to be four. Four means pull-ups no longer need to be worn at night (we'll see how that goes) and that the next hunting trip the men folk take will include him (we'll see how that goes as well).

Joel received a new pair of Wrangler jeans for his birthday (courtesy of his Great Grandma Fran). He's quite proud to show off the Wrangler logo on the back pocket of the jeans and then tell anyone who will listen what it says--"Cowboy." Joel also got a new gun and holster set as well as a new cowboy hat. He's one happy little buckaroo. "Rawwwwhiiiiiiide!"

Overheard

The other day Joel crept quietly into my room near the end of our afternoon quiet time and whispered, "Can I get up now?" I told him, yes, he could get up, but I ordered him to be quiet as others in the house were still sleeping. A few minutes later I heard Elizabeth say something to Joel. Then I heard Joel yell, "MAMA SAID I CAN GET UP IF I BE QUIET!"

Music Review: Mosiac

This past fall, I read a little snippet about Ricky Skaggs' new album, "Mosiac" in World magazine. The album was given a very good review, so I hunted around on the internet and found that NPR's "Fresh Air" program had also given the album a favorable review as did many others.

I ordered the album for Matt as a Christmas present, but I guess I should have just given it to myself, because I've been hogging it (it's in the CD player of the car I drive) ever since Matt opened it. The more and more I listen to the album, the more amazed I am.

I find most modern Christian music unappealing. It either sounds like an imitation of the world's music (i.e.--hard rock, can't understand the words) or it's just plain bad music (i.e.--synthesizers, not real musicians). I know, I'm picky. Blame it on my dad and the thorough music education he gave me in my growing up years (from Bach to the Beatles to bluegrass).

Ricky Skaggs is probably most known for his bluegrass music, but "Mosiac" is not a bluegrass album. Mr. Skaggs calls it a Gospel album. In my listening, I've been really impressed with the different musical genres the album covers, yet the album itself is a cohesive unit.

My favorite songs on the album are "You Can't Shake Jesus," (probably the most bluegrassy of the collection) and "Return to Sender." I also like the song "Fire From the Sky" which tells my favorite Old Testament story of the prophets of Baal going up against Elijah and The Living God (1 Kings 18:17-40).

In my current sleep deprived state, I've found it difficult to concentrate enough to read the good books I received for Christmas and my birthday, but I have been able to enjoy listening to music and "Mosiac" has ministered to me greatly in the past six weeks. Mr. Skaggs wrote the following about the album:

"I really thought we were going into the studio to work on a CD, but what happened was this CD started working on us. Every day there was a visitation of God’s presence that was so obvious…. My prayer for this CD is that at the end of the day, these songs would cause people to know the love of God. That He’s not mad at us, but that He has a passionate love for us that we can’t understand. Really. I can’t cause anyone to believe, it’s not my job, but it’s a total work of The Holy Spirit….A Work Of Love!"

You can listen to a clip of Mr. Skaggs talking about his new album here.