Recap (2017.03.04)

It’s been terribly long since I posted one of these, which means I’m going to just fly by the seat of my pants and not try to be comprehensive :-)

In my spirit:

• Reflecting on the unity of the body in Christ – and struggling with how to be united in Christ when I can’t seem to figure out how to deepen relationships with other believers past the “Hi, how are you?” “Fine, thank you” and “This is what we did this weekend” stage.
• Rejoicing to be doing “devotions” with my daughter while Louis is napping (reading a Bible story, memorizing Scripture, singing a hymn, and praying together) and to be having family worship with the whole family in the evenings.

In the living room:

• After a year in our house, I have finally decorated the top of the entertainment center.
• I added ten minutes of “zone cleaning” to my routine this past month – which has meant that I’ve started to declutter and move into our house a little more.
• Daniel and I also made a concentrated effort to get the garage clean enough that he could park his car in there (along with our new-to-us Ford Expedition – we needed a bigger vehicle if we’re going to start fostering soon.)

In the kitchen:

• We picked up the half beef we bought from my uncle – and now I’m cooking all that wonderful beefy food I don’t eat when I have to pay almost $4 for hamburger – Chili with beef, Beef enchiladas, Beef Pot Roasts, BBQ Beef, Daniel’s families “West Virginia Soup”, Swedish meatballs…
• The deep freeze – and the fridge freezer – are COMPLETELY full. And I had to throw away a trashbag full of odds and ends to make all the beef fit!

In the nursery:

• Louis has gotten his first two teeth – in two days time – and has also started crawling EVERYWHERE. He vocalizes a lot, blows bubbles and raspberries, and is starting to initiate peekaboo.
• Tirzah Mae has been busy memorizing Children Desiring God’s “Foundation Verses”, singing songs with actions, helping with clearing the table and putting clothes in the hamper, riding her tricycle and playing in the sandbox – and just generally being a lot of fun. Those extra couple of hours that she’s no longer napping give her lots of opportunity to do more (and give me a lot less time in which to do my own tasks!)
• We started our foster care class, hoping to adopt out of foster care eventually. Even just a couple weeks in, the class has been enlightening.

In the craft room:

• I started working on our wedding album (we’re coming up on our 4th anniversary here next week) – but need to find the time to buckle down and finish it. Time is in short supply now that Tirzah Mae isn’t napping.

In the garden:

• I’m loving the grow light I got for Christmas. The broccoli has sprouted, the tomatoes and peppers are planted. I’m itching to get my fingers in the dirt outside.
• I’ve set up a few beds and want to get herbs in this year – next order of business is getting a truckload of compost delivered. That’s going to be on the agenda this next week (as long as it stays dry enough that a dump truck can get in without destroying the lawn.)

In the library (currently reading):

• Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley
• Getting to Know the Church Fathers by Bryan M. Litfin
• Your Time-Starved Marriage by Les and Leslie Parrott
• Success as a Foster Parent by the National Foster Care Association
• Everyday Creative Play by Lisa Church
• The Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth
• The Pearl by John Steinbeck
• The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

Added to the TBR List:

• Speaking American by Josh Katz (added based on Karen’s comments at Living Unabridged)
• Words on the Move by John McWhorter (added based on Lisa’s recommendation)
• Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool (also based on Lisa’s recommendation)
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (Lisa again)
• Idiot Brain by Dean Burnett (from Lisa)

Around the web:

• Should Children Play with Food? – Especially for picky eaters, “playing” with food can be helpful for broadening kids’ horizons and helping them overcome sensory difficulties.
• The Four-Fold View of Creation – In a day where questions about the age of the earth and about evolution are the questions related to creation, it’s important to be reminded of these points that Christians have historically emphasized about creation (Full disclosure: I’m a day-age creationist and do not believe that humans evolved from other species.)
• No, Saul the Persecutor Did Not Become Paul the Apostle – This is a pet peeve of mine, so I was thrilled to see it addressed. (HT: Tim Challies