my afternoon.

when i got home from work this afternoon, my fridge was full of:
a large bowl of challah dough
3 enormous ziploc bags of asparagus
1 grocery bag of rhubarb

so, after a little break, i: 

braided, egg-washed, and baked 2 small [normal size] challahs

 washed, chopped, and cooked 2 quarts of rhubarb sauce [it's really tart and good!]

chopped, blanched, and froze 7 quarts of asparagus

my fridge is empty
my freezer is full of everything but ice [blanching]
my hands are happy
and.. my sink is full of dishes.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

apparently:

1. blogger was down?

2. i can get my papers renewed?

3. challah gets huge?

wednesdays.

wednesdays used to be adventure wednesdays.
or wednesday-is-the-new-friday wednesdays.
or no-class wednesdays.
or something.

currently they seem like warfare wednesdays.
we have prayer meetings every other wednesday at church.
and pretty much, those wednesdays are rough.
aka wreak-havoc-on-your-mind/soul/heart/body wednesdays.
pray for us, yeah?

hopefully they'll become we-will-overcome wednesdays.

i am in Christ.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, 
and His grace toward me was not in vain; 
but I labored more abundantly than they all, 
yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
1 Corinthians 15:10


i have a lot of shortcomings. my heart condemns me often. but God is greater than my heart and knows all things.
God, in Christ, has redeemed me. God has called me, justified me, sanctified me. i am His and He is mine.
and even though life doesn't make sense and i feel like i'm not doing anything,
by the grace of God i am what i am.

You do all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me;

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my Guide?

Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell!

For I know, whate’er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well;

For I know, whate’er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me,

Cheers each winding path I tread;

Gives me grace for every trial,

Feeds me with the living Bread.

Though my weary steps may falter,

And my soul athirst may be,

Gushing from the Rock before me,

Lo! A spring of joy I see;

Gushing from the Rock before me,

Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me

O the fullness of His love!

Perfect rest to me is promised

In my Father’s house above.

When my spirit, clothed immortal,

Wings its flight to realms of day

This my song through endless ages—

Jesus led me all the way;

This my song through endless ages—

Jesus led me all the way.

-Fanny J Crosby

the hands You've given me.

i find no greater delight in life than to productively use my hands.

these are the times when i feel my hands are best at work:

kneading a batch of bread dough and carefully forming the loaves

poking seeds into freshly tilled earth, and covering them gently with soil

carefully sewing beautiful yards of fabric together to make lovely things

letting my fingers sing as they dance across the piano keys
picking up a little person and enjoying tiny delights with them

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands; 

yes, establish the work of our hands. -Psalm 90:17

pages from my bristol notebook.

here are a few pages from a little notebook i filled up while on outreach in bristol, uk, in october 2009.

quotes from Streams in the Desert by Mrs Charles Cowman

do some going.

it is sunday afternoon and blusterously [i just created that word] cold outside.
i am enjoying the silence of a peaceful house, all 6 current residents of which are happily installed in various quiet activities.

it's the first of may and i wish i was outside, riding my bike and adding profusely to my freckle collection. but alas, i am not. i suppose biking in this weather could be somewhat enjoyable, if the wind were at my back. but the ride home would be well nigh impossible. and my freckles might fly away.

i mainly want to go somewhere. here is a list of possibilities, in the order that i think of them:
-france
-sweden
-iceland
-south africa
-boston
-thailand
-germany
-california
-the beach
-downtown [by this i mean a city, not my town]
-virginia
-amsterdam
-croatia
-england
-vevey

any of these would do quite well.

i, however, remain here. purlease somewhere soon?