I just took up my place in right field

Happy Mother's Day!

My poor little blog has been so ignored for the last month (or more). There are reasons for that and I'll get to a newsy post soon. Today, though, I want to share how my Domestic Church touched this mother's heart.

Earlier in the week, I was asked how I'd like to spend Mother's Day. Getting a wonderfully made breakfast is a given since my boys really enjoy cooking. And I agreed to bacon, making Zydeco's own heart sing. My usual answer to how I'd like to spend a leisurely day is "sewing without the pressures of a schedule." 

But this time, I asked my family to stretch themselves. The company I am working for has a wonderful branch that encourages and supports community involvement and volunteerism. We certainly do both of those in this Domestic Church, in many ways and forms, but the company offers new and various avenues we've not explored.  My family agreed to try something very new.

We donned our logo'd tee shirts and headed across the water to help with a very special Little League game: a game for special needs children. Explanation of the Challenger Jamboree is here. We all stepped outside of our comfort zones to "buddy" a child during the ball game. We played in the field, cheering and offering encouragement while also providing a watchful eye. We stood near home plate while our buddy player swung at pitches or a tee, then ran with them around the bases.

(No pictures of the game because I thought it insensitive to photograph other peoples' children).

Classic Rock, a true football fan, put aside his baseball prejudice and really enjoyed his time in the field with his buddy. Irish Jig didn't ask any questions about why a child walked a little differently or didn't speak quite as well, thankfully. She just accepted the fun offered to her by the small boy we buddied. I love the innocence of the young.

The rock star today was Jazz. She was so nervous and anxious about befriending someone with a special need. Would she be able to communicate? To share? She was buddy to a girl just about her age but with a slower speech pattern. The girl took Jazz's hand and ran her around the bases, laughing and enjoying every minute of the attention. And Jazz relished in giving it to her - all her qualms vanishing in an instant.

Today, I am so very thankful to be mother to these amazing children. I'd like to believe their hearts are generous because of the nurturing from Mr. Neoclassic and me, but I know the hand of God is playing their hearts to His tune. I'm just along for the beautiful, amazing ride.

***
On a slightly humorous note, when I received the logo tees from the HR department, they didn't have a tee tiny enough for Irish Jig.  Knowing she'd feel left out, I pulled a navy tee from her stash and traced her small hand on the front.  I used day-glo orange fabric paint to create a helping hand logo so that hers would mostly match ours.  She was thrilled!  It's the small things that really make us happy, right?

Today's post title is from Peter Paul and Mary's Right Field.  So appropriate since Irish Jig, our buddy child, and I played in right field today.  And, as my parents can attest, that's the position I played during my high school Catholic Youth sports league tenure!

Gentle mother, peaceful dove

The Annunciation by Francisco de Goya

Image from Art.com

Today, the Catholic church recognizes the visit of the Angel Gabriel to Mary and her willingness to accept that which she surely didn't fully understand. The readings of the day are carefully chosen to reflect this day - The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord:

Isaiah 7 & 8 (parts only here):

Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us!”

Psalm 40:

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Luke 1: 26-38 (parts only here):

And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”

I heard these readings during women's Bible Study this morning and found myself revisiting the words and messages throughout my day.  I met a great friend for coffee and long overdue conversation.  I spoke with my own mother and shared funny vignettes from our home's last few days.  During all of the little parts of my normal "mothering" today, I reflected on this great event, this young woman's willingness to be mother for us all.

I also let the idea of mother remind me of the wonderful mothers I know: my own (of course), my mother-in-law (hysterical), my sister, and fabulous friends.   All these inspirational women that make my own mothering journey more fun, more sensible, more loving, and more palatable (just being honest).   Women my own age who are in the same stages of mothering adventures and women who have "been there, done that" and offer valuable hindsight thoughts; women who love this crazy adventure as much as I do and are as thankful to the Lord for the opportunity.

Many years ago, while hugely pregnant with my third child (Jazz), I reluctantly rolled (literally) out of bed and dressed for Mass.  I was tired, achy, hurting some, and not wanting to leave the comfort of my bed and my fuzzy jammies.  As I left Mass, a wonderful member of our congregation stopped me to offer words of encouragement.  With eight children of her own, she had much encouragement to offer!  I just remember her holding my hands and reminding me that my state of pregnancy just meant that, like Mary, I'd said YES and allowed the Lord to create something of his own within me.  For just a brief period of time (although those nine months don't always seem brief), we turn ourselves over for His use and become something wonderful in the process - mothers.

I let that and other encouraging memories of conversations had and experiences shared color my day and make it more joyful.  I made cookies with the four year old "just because" and skipped more laundry loads in favor of downloading silly music and dancing up and down the hallways with my girls.  We danced to the LEGO movie's Everything is Awesome, some Bruno Mars favorites to remind us that we're great Just the Way you Are, a few Frozen movie themes, and Katie Perry's Roar.  Because sometimes a mother roars.  Sometimes a lot.

And we danced.  Badly.  And laughed.  Loudly.  And rejoiced that motherhood gave me all this.

Celebrate your motherhood today!

Today's post title from Hail Mary: Gentle Woman by Carey Landry

Oh Father, guide me if You can

Classic Rock and Zydeco completely surprised their dad with a unique and creative gift today. Using his new camera (thoroughly researched and purchased with savings), Zydeco roamed our gardens and snapped pictures of blooming flowers and greening shrubs. After learning how to download the pictures, Classic Rock stepped in with his research capabilities. Together, they produced a Power Point presentation/ card for Mr. Neoclassic.

They totally nailed their dad's love of nature and wonderfully coupled it with inspiring thoughts we all need to hear.  Their gift shows their own talents, as well.  Zydeco's really enamored with photography - a byproduct of working toward the Boy Scout Photography merit badge.  His "eye" is better than mine, for sure.  Classic Rock is and has always been a book worm.   He's most comfortable when he can research answers to all of life's questions.  Finding just the right quotes for the pictures they'd collected was his idea of time well spent.  I am certainly not arguing.

I hope the Father's Day celebrations, big or small, in your own homes were fabulous.

Today's post title from Cat Stevens' Father

My pretty little snowflake

As of yesterday, Spring is officially here. And today, there are snowflakes falling.

What??

Last time I checked, Virginia was considered a Southern State. Hello! Someone forgot to tell the snow that little fact. It's cold, breezy, gray, and we have snow flurries. Of course, there aren't enough flurries to stick and make a beautiful wonderland for playing. There are just enough to make you (ok, me) want to bundle up in front of a fire with popcorn and a really good movie. I might even share the couch with a loved one (or five).

I am still wearing these and Irish Jig is wearing this:

A Rapunzel hat that appeared unexpectedly in the mail - just for her!  You know how much a package with your very own name on it can cause joyful dancing and shrieking?  Apparently, 3 year olds feel that way, too :)  Created by wonderful Aunt Karen (of the quilting fame), the long yellow braids are topped by a pink crown.  Irish Jig loves it and usually wears it with her princess costume dresses.  Today, she's sporting it simply for added warmth.

Thanks so much Karen for the work and the gift of happiness you've sent this way.  This, of course, reminds me that a certain young woman in your home will be 12 next week.  I could use a few suggestions - wink, wink!

Surprise, surprise

Don't you love a good surprise? I know I do! Yesterday evening, our doorbell rang while we were prepping dinner. (And by "we" I mean Mr. Neoclassic. I was in the kitchen keeping him company.) When I opened the front door, I found a plastic bag of yarn skeins. When I looked out to the driveway, I spied a good friend wrestling another bag of skeins from the passenger seat of her car. In response to my befuddled expression, she explained:

"I emailed you but then just headed over. I didn't want you to say no. I purged my yarn stash and this is all yours to play with. Or to give away. Or to craft with. Your choice."

Oh, and when I say plastic bag, I don't mean store sized. I mean giant lawn and leaf bag sized:

Sandi explained that when she shops for her project yarns, she does so at the second hand shops where the skeins are bundled together and priced per bagged grouping. Usually, there's no rhyme or reason to the yarn groupings and she'll purchase three weird skeins to get the one really nice wool or certain color/ texture she's aiming for. Thus, the gigantic stash of skeins.

While Mr. Neoclassic continued dinner preps and we chatted with Sandi over a beer (surely that's proper payment for yarn, right?), the girls had a ball (ha ha) creating spiderwebs of yarn throughout the downstairs. They've claimed some of the more fuzzy yarns for crafting purposes. Zydeco even found a dark gray one to use on a crochet scarf he started months ago. Some of the cotton ones will become dish cloths and washcloths. Most of the fuzzy types will go into the Girl Scout art supply bin. Some will be offered to some of my local fiber loving friends, as well as a delightful retiree I see at the YMCA each week. Ms. Fran made a sweet afghan for Jazz's dolls last summer and is always happy to chat with us as we enter the Y. She crochets endlessly while waiting on the bus and sells her blankets and hats to supplement her income.

Of course, most aren't labeled with brand or fiber content.  And so the fun begins. As I sort by color, I'll be testing for content. I found some good guidelines here and here. Zydeco will be close at hand, I am sure, since flames and burning will be involved. He's got a future in pyrotechnics - we just hope he keeps it legal :)

Sandi - thanks so much for thinking of me and gifting me your stash.  I am not sure Mr. Neoclassic feels the same level of thankfulness since he'll now have the stash taking up space in the storage room. But it makes me happy and that makes him happy - right?

What surprises are you thankful for today?

Song title from Tree63

Blue skies that never end

My sister in law Karen is a quilt artist. She creates art quilts, either from her imagination or from pictures, and their home is a fabulous showplace of her work. After years of admiring her work (and dropping just a few not-so-subtle hints), she has created a masterpiece for our home!

In early fall, she asked me to collect and send photographs of our favorite scenery. Mr. Neoclassic and I weeded through recent nature shots and picked several of our favorites. We sent them to Karen, knowing the result would be unique and awesome. I started planning the perfect spot to hang her creation :)

We sent this shot, taken while berry picking earlier this year:

The James River as seen from Hog Island, VA

A package arrived yesterday with this masterpiece:

Let's see them side by side:

Karen painted the clouds onto the fabric, used inspired purple threading to create the horizon, added the soaring birds for additional interest, and used several fabulously patterned fabrics to mimic the grasses and stones. Here's a close up of some of those fabrics and the cloud painting:

We are so thankful for our personalized wall quilt. It's perpetually summer with blue skies in our den. Or maybe our bedroom (I haven't decided just yet). We are also thankful for the artistry and generosity that brought this quilt into our home. Karen, just for the record, you're off the hook for all gift giving occasions for the remainder of our lives!

Post title from Faith Hill's Sunshine and Summertime.  Thanks additionally to the wonderful Christie at A Lemon Squeezy Home for the collage making directions.

Prepare the way

Just a few days ago, I was discussing with Mr. Neoclassic our need to have a solid Advent plan for our family. Something a little different than years past and something that involved/ challenged us all.

Okay, fine. I'll admit that I was whining. In my mind, despite my best efforts to organize, suddenly Thanksgiving was gone and Advent was nearly upon us and my plans weren't in order! There was no written (or griddy) plan for the season. I was lost without my plan.

Then, of course, HE made it all work out and laid a plan for this year's Advent season in our laps. I should have more faith in Him and in my little family....

Last night, while Jazz and I attended our usual Girl Scout Brownie meeting, Mr. Neoclassic and the other children attended our church's Family Advent Workshop. After our meeting ended, we walked across the parking lot to join the workshop. And now, we are set with a plan, crafts, and good cheer.

I don't have pictures of the event, which is sad because I heard reports that Mr. Neo was wielding a glue stick and tissue paper. That's a sight I'd have paid lots of money to see! I do have pictures of the crafts and take-homes.

Irish Jig was quite proud of her Advent Wreath, easily put together with tissue paper squares and stickers by her little hands. She was also happily toting around her baby Jesus craft. Simple, yes, but oh so adorable for her. She found the Little People mama and daddy for him this morning.

But let's get to the heart of the matter, shall we? The PLAN. Based on the wonderful information at lillightomine.com, our family will be taking part in the Light 'em UP! program. It's geared at helping our children (and ourselves) understand the gift we receive by giving to others. Here's a peek at the plan:

As a family we'll decide who, how, and when to sprinkle giving.  The basis is that we celebrate the works of those we know (friends, teachers, etc) and those we don't know (strangers, community service folks, etc).  We have simple notes to attach to candy canes or mini candy bars that say "Thank you for how you serve our family."

The Light 'em up! program also encourages random acts of kindness.  I like the sidewalk chalk message because we have lots of foot traffic in front of our home.  I also like the idea of the children writing notes to friends and one another.

Our Thanks! jar with all the little notes we can attach to small gifts and leave for those around us. 

What random acts of kindness can you do for a friend?

Today's post title from We Shall Prepare, by Mark Friedman and Janet Vogt

You can count me in

 Today, I am so very thankful to have my opinion HEARD!

As the children celebrated a "no school" day by sleeping in, Mr. Neoclassic and I snuck out to vote.  We held hands while walking into our polling station and discussing Virginia's chances for going in our chosen direction.  We witnessed a sweet white-haired husband unloading his aging wife and her walker, all the while promising her breakfast and coffee for braving the cold to vote.  Her response was something akin to, "well, duh!"

Tuesdays during November will be my Gratitude Days.  I'd like to share simple thanksgivings and blessings that our Domestic Church recognizes.  Today, we are most thankful for the chance to make a difference and to be heard.  Classic Rock pointed out that he'll be voting in the 2016 election.  Wow!

Today's post title....any of the 1000+ songs that showed up when I googled "count me in."