Recording

My choir recorded a CD this past weekend and boy, was it a lot of work!  I had NO idea just how much it would require of me.  In the Catholic church we were in there was a statue of a saint with a skull by his feet.  We were all wondering who that is and what that all was about.  As a joke they said that when you hit a wrong note that the skull would come to life.

Well... I think I found the dude.  He's St. Jerome and he's commonly depicted with a skull as a reminder of mortality and often depicted with an owl...a symbol of wisdom.  I knew I liked the guy.

This is the inner sanctum of the recording.  Lots and lots of cords.

In the bathroom this is what was painted.  I rather liked it and I'm thinking I need that in my bathroom.

They also had unusual paintings of women around the world.

Like the nifty door stop?  That's our conductor, Charles Bruffy.

This is the front of the room.  This is where we recorded.  Lovely church with great acoustics.  We made great music this weekend.  There were several times I felt close to tears out of frustration and joy and just weariness.  I can not wait to hear the final product.  What a wonderful thing to be able to make art through the use of your voice.  Such a personal thing and such a beautiful thing to share with others.  I can not explain all the nuances that go into something like this.  It is tricky when your instrument is inside your body.    

One of our choir members brought along some inspirational quotes each day to give to us.  This one I liked a lot:

"As performers, we must immerse ourselves in the words, in the sound and sense of the text and context, that we might become worthy channels through which these musical and poetic ideas might again be brought to life and communicated to others.  To be a singer is not enough; we must become the song."

Samuel Barber- (here's an interesting fact... we are about to sing one of his pieces in our upcoming concert)

Ideas for Winter Fun

Here are some ideas that I read in the paper today for winter fun with your kids.

Salt sculptures:
Mix together 4 C flour, 1 1/2 C water and 1 C salt.  Sculpt the doughy mixture into shapes-- animals, flowers, rockets or whatever you can imagine.  Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.  Cool and paint.

Shiny pennies:
make all your pennies shiny and new.  Mix 4 T vinegar and 1 tsp salt in a small bowl.  Put the pennies in and stir.  Polish them with a soft cloth and a drop of vegetable oil to make them shine.

Magazine scavenger hunt:
Grab a stack of old magazines or an old paper.  Make a list of 25 images to look for, such as a boy, girl, flowers, car or horse.  Set a timer for 20 minutes, and have children tear out the images.  Recycle the magazines when finished.

Nephilim... the heroes of old

I am on a plan to read through the Bible this year.  If you are interested, it is at www.ownit365.com.  I've been reading through Genesis and Job and have had loads of questions... more than I can even delve into and even more where I have to just say "ok, the answers aren't clear here... I'm not sure, or God wanted it that way."  One of the most puzzling portions to me has been Genesis 6.

"When men began to increase in number on the earth and the daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.  Then the Lord said, 'my Spirit will not contend with man forever, for his is mortal, his days will be a hundred and twenty years.' The Nephilim were on the earth in those days-- and also afterward-- when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them.  They were the heroes of old, men of renown."


So... who were the Sons of God and what are Nephilim?  I did a little study and this is what I found.

First, who were the sons of God?
Some suggest they were supernatural beings such as angels.  Others say they were godly men descended from Seth who married sinful women descended from Cain.  A better interpretation may be that they were human rulers who emerged as heads of city-states in the ancient Middle East and flaunted their power by having large harems.  Rulers and judges are sometimes called gods or God in the Hebrew text.

Who were the Nephilim?
Nephilim may refer to persons of great physical stature-- giants.  Nephilim is linked to another term that indicates a heroic person with both power and influence.

Here are the other sightings of the word Nephilim in scripture.
Numbers 13:32-33
"And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.  They said, 'the land we explored devours those living in it.  All the people we saw there are of great size.  We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim).  We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."


So they were obviously big dudes... giants.  But were they half angel?  half fallen angel, half human?  As far as I can tell the Bible is not clear about it.  I guess it isn't essential for us to know or it would have been in more detail... but the angel thing bothers me because I think of angels as non sexual beings.  Maybe there is a lot about angels I don't know.  Don't worry, I'm not obsessing about angels and going off and worshiping angels.  I just wonder if they have human emotions.  Any thoughts out there?  Do you think Shaquil O'Neal would constitute as a giant?  When you are that big you automatically get some respect... ya know?
By the way, Job is a hard read for me.  He has this horrendous day in the beginning and now he is trying to get his friends off of his back and then trying to figure out God.  It makes me confused and sad reading it. I'm sure not as sad and confused as Job felt right?  Do you guys think I can make it through Leviticus?  YIKES!

Snow

It snowed about 5 1/2 to 6 inches yesterday.  Quite a bit in one day!  Here is Gwen "painting" in the snow using water that I colored with food coloring in a squirt bottle.

Here she is helping daddy shovel snow.

Zeke loved the snow and the cold.  He looked out the window and whined and whined until I took him out.  Just look at that face!

Ben pulled them around the yard on the sled.  They had a fun time.

My drawing in snow paint of a Christmas tree with "glory" shining all around. :)

Zeke's First Birthday

Gwen spent a lot of time running.

Zeke and daddy.

Zeke and Uncle Jake.

My gorgeous birthday boy.

My awesome friend Janna and her boy, Luke.  Yes, I'm going through a braid phase.

Singing to Zekey.

He liked the cupcake.

Owl cupcakes.

Let's Get Together

Playing cars together.

Sitting and chatting about babies together.  Here lately Gwen has been asking me what I am thinking about. It makes me laugh when she asks me something introspective like that.  It's like... um... say what??

Lead Me To The Cross

I've been praying/worshiping a lot to this song lately.  I can not watch this video without crying.

2010 in Review

Well... it seemed fun so Leah... I'm copying you and answering these questions for myself.


1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before? gave birth to a boy

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?  
probably not.  There is a reason I usually make vague resolutions  

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Just me

4. Did anyone close to you die?
 No.

5. What countries did you visit? none, but I did go to Korea in Aug 2009

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? More massages... definitely more massages, and good veggies this summer, and more knowledge about random things like aloe plants

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?January 9th of course when I met my Zeke and December 25th this year was pretty memorable.. snow on Christmas day in Alabama

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
 learning to discipline better and making friends

9. What was your biggest failure? My neighbor who had stage 4 cancer... I told him we were praying for him but failed to share Christ

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? no

11. What was the best thing you bought? paint for my bedroom walls... I was tired of that green

12. Where did most of your money go? Well... we bought a furnace/AC this year and redid the siding on the chimney.  Our everyday expenses were high and we gave some.

13. What did you get really excited about? my vanilla extract

14. What song will always remind you of 2010? The House That Built Me

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? I'm happier
– thinner or fatter? er... which month are we talking about. Thinner slightly
– richer or poorer? richer in many ways

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
 gotten massages, worked out more, laughed

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
worry!

18. How did you spend Christmas? We were in Alabama with my family

19. What was your favorite TV program? America's Funniest Home Videos, cause it comes on at 6am and I need a laugh if I'm up then.

20. What were your favorite books of the year? the pioneer book series that I read... can't remember the author.. Jane something

21. What was your favorite music from this year?
 I like Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert... country

22. What were your favorite films of the year? The Guardians of G'Houle 

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? um, I don't remember I was 33 last Jan 6th  *  now I remember... I was hugely pregnant with Zeke at home waiting for him to come!!

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? well... more sleep ect.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? sweat pants here I come!

26. What kept you sane? friends, my projects, laughter, blogging, Jesus and Ben

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010. Worry doesn't do anything for anyone.  Things can look very bleak, and then the very next day you have a breakthrough.  Never discount the power of a good night's sleep on any mood.

New Years Eve and Finished Gwenmere

Gwen wouldn't stop fake coughing to get a photo.  That's why Beki's laughing.

Zeke is quite fond of the portcullis.  We were going to have a drawbridge and a moat, but I got tired after drawing all of those stones on there.

We pretended that the castle was besieged by a enormous spider.  It sure scared Snow White, but not so much Cinderella.

Here it is... Castle Gwenmere with Belle lying on her face. :)

Ben brought me flowers.  Isn't he great?  We made a star brownie.  Thanks Stephanie for the pan.

Thoughts On Friendship and The New Year

I've been thinking about friendship lately especially since reading the book "Same Kind Of Different As Me."  It's a true story about a black homeless man becoming friends with a rich white guy and his wife that is an awesome believer that dies of cancer and how they all deal with it.  When the white guy (Ron) is getting to know the black guy (Denver), Denver asks Ron what he wants from him.  He said he just wanted to be his friend.  He went on to ask if Ron did what other white guys do when they fish.. catch and release.  He said in his family when they catch a fish they are proud of it, they show it to everyone they know and then they eat it.  Basically, the bottom line is that he didn't want to be a catch and release friend.  He wanted to have a friend for life.

Over the years I have made and remade friendships over and over.  It seems that once you leave an area it's hard to keep in touch.  There are friends that even when we don't talk we still are friends and we pick up right where we left off...but those are rare.  I am now at the place and time when I want a friend for life.  I want deeper friendships now.... I want a friend that knows me, really knows me.  I want friends that I pray with, memorize Scripture with, and kiss their kids.  Not that I didn't want that before... but now I feel even more so I guess.

So, that is one of my resolutions this year.  To be the kind of friend that I would like to have.  I also want to learn to french braid and lose the last 20 lbs that I need to.  (I've lost 25 since July)  I also want to enjoy my kids and celebrate each moment.  Here is a moment from yesterday that was precious to me.

Gwen got up from her nap and went to the top of the stairs and called down to me to go up there and get her and hold her.  I was doing something so I said to her... I'm not coming up there to get you, but I'd love to hold you when you get down the stairs.  Well, she threw a fit at the top of the stairs and it was a battle of the wills for sure.  I won out and she came down stairs and of course I snatched her up and told her how glad I was that she came down and oh, aren't you wonderful and all that.  Then I sat down holding her and brushed away the snot and brushed away the tears and looked at her and said my usual two questions.  I always ask her "who's my girl?" and she replies, "Gwen"... and then I ask her "who's my special girl?" and she replies "Gwen."  But this time was different.  I asked her "who's my girl?" and she said "Gwen" with a little smile on her face and then I started into my second question "who's my spec..." and she put her hand up on my chest and interrupted me by saying "I know mommy... you love Gwen."  Well, my heart did a little melt and I looked her in the face and said "yes, I do.  Very much."  WHAT a sweetie.

Castle Gwenmere

Here is castle Gwenmere all taped together.

I decided we needed a family coat of arms.  This was the pattern I used to create ours.  Pretty much Gwen was enthusiastic about the castle making and now the new has worn off and it's pretty much my project.  Hopefully as she sees it come together she will get more interested.  I, on the other hand, have been learning lots about parts of the castle.  We've decided ours should have a moat and a portcullis made from the scraps of the memory game again.  

Here's Gwen painting Gwenmere.

This is our coat of arms.  Notice the cross at the top... of course Jesus is first, and then a symbol that represents all of us living here.  And the "B" meaning Barreth of course.  My symbol is the owl, because I like them and I'd like to be wise one day.  An envelope for Beki cause she writes loads of letters.  Gwen wanted a rose and I thought it was quite fitting.  I chose a bike wheel for Ben because he likes biking and cause without him we'd really be in the ditch fo sho!  and then Zeke.  I had a hard time thinking of a symbol for him that was just right.  I finally decided on a seahorse.  I chose it because it is small and beautiful and it likes the water and it likes to hang onto grass (me) and it is monogamous (I think) and does its own little thing in its little area.  Sounds like Zeke to me!  Plus they are super cool.  I'll have to learn more about them.

Trash Pile Treasures and my Darling Boy

Thanks to my mom I got a new vacuum for Christmas.  I took it out of the box today and the cardboard inside... does anyone else see a castle in the makings here?  I'll update you on our fortress we will be making this afternoon.

We put the kitchen in the basement for a while and up came a train/car table to play with for a while we got from my sister.  Zeke loves looking at it and playing cars.  Even though he can't pull up to this position yet he can hold on and balance when we put him up there.

This is an art project we did using the leftover stuff from popping out the cards of a memory game.  I thought it came out really neat.  So... take another look at your trash.  You just might find something worthwhile.

On the Long Road Home

On the way home we saw a sign that talked about this restaurant that throws rolls... Lambert's.  Well... I got jazzed up about the novelty of throwed rolls (it gets boring in the car for 13 hours) and so we stopped there for lunch.  BIG MISTAKE.  First off the kids were tired and it cost more than fast food and it was like being on a conveyor belt of food.  So you order your stuff and people come around and ask you if you want black eyed peas and then they come around and ask if you want fried okra, then the come around and ask if you want fried taters (said in exactly that way).  It was nuts!  But the throwed rolls was the highlight I must say.

Ben ordered a pork steak and I about came out of my chair when he got his food.  He said, "are we going to take this to go?"  I think I was so tired of being in the car I could have laughed about anything.

We also saw animals on the way.  These are buffalo.

and these are zebra.  Talk about being out of their element.. it was snowing.

Snow cream.

The Postholiday Truth

I read this today in Reader's Digest and it made me smile.

(to the tune of "I'll Be Home For Christmas")

I'll be slim for Christmas,
You can count on me.
I pass up chips and chunky dips
and ham and Spam and Brie.

Christmas night will find me
Where the fridge light gleams.
I'll be slim for Christmas,
But then come Krispy Kremes,
Yes, then come Krispy Kremes.

Christmas Snowman

Much to our surprise, we woke up to snow on Christmas morning.  Gwen couldn't wait to get snow on her tongue.