Friday Fill-Ins

1. Wait, wait - I need time to process that Sam is almost 6 months old already.


2. The way I view some things is a little different.


3. In addition, many people don't get that.


4. Immediately (I wish) is the way we do it here!


5. At the end of the year, I like to hope for a better next year.


6. Becoming a better person is one of the things I'm looking forward to in 2012.


7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a quiet evening, tomorrow my plans include watching the ball drop and enjoying a toast with my hubby and Sunday, I want to eat a bit of cabbage without Sam having major gas!

Perhaps not peace, but endurance

"'There is no peace on Earth,' I said."
At least, there's none inside my head.
There's not time for the cry that threatens, though.
I must push it back,
for there's things to do:
others' tears to dry,
and squabbles to settle.
Meals to make, and dreams to peddle.

No, my dear ones, we've not got it all. Perhaps, some say, we've got none at all.
But we've still got us, and that's not small.

My little whos, the world is big, 'tis true.
There will be bad that comes, but we'll make it through.
We always do.

Friday Fill-Ins - More Christmas Lyrics

1. Said the night wind to the little lamb, do you hear what I hear?


2. The first Noel, the angel did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay.


3. Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh. O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way.


4. It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old.


5. When I was small I believed in Santa Claus, and now that I'm old, I wish he was real.


6. And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing from within your heart.


7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to absolutely nothing, tomorrow my plans include church and Sunday, I want to survive the day!

God Heard

I named you five years ago.
I asked God where you were for all that time -
who you were.
I wondered if you were some deluded figment of my imagination,
a half-whispered hope that would never be realized.

But God heard.
He heard my hurt.
He heard my wondering.
He heard the things I still don't know that I said in my heart.

And He answered with you.

Tripping through Tuesday

I wanted to test this whole post-by-email thing some more so I thought I'd lie here in bed while Sam (who is supposed to be nursing and going to sleep) works on his reach/grab/squeal skills. Yep, four months old and already asserting himself. He's fascinated by this little light box. It doesn't matter what we're doing, as long as he gets to watch.

I went to my first Boy Scouts Court of Honor tonight. It was fun to see the boys of the troop interacting and I liked seeing the older ones encouraging the younger ones to reach for levels. One of them referred to the last three levels as "becoming a man." I like that. I hope that Brandon (and eventually Sam) will learn not only life skills and survival skills, but how to be a modern-day knight. Chivalry, honor, loyalty, duty, compassion: these are some of the values I want my sons to embody as they become men. I'm thankful for programs like Boy Scouts that help me to instill those values into them.

We don't have a lot planned for the holidays. We're just trying to keep the chaos contained so Dad can get some work done. With four kids in the house, that's a tall order! Tomorrow afternoon I'll drag them all to Mineola Eyecare to get Sarah's glasses during their open house so they can visit Santa and get out of the house for a bit. The doctor said she could really do without glasses, but Sarah's been fussing so much he said she could go ahead and have the mild prescription she needs for the classroom and watching television. I think she wants glasses because she's been feeling left out between Brandon and Bethany both having glasses. Yippee - three pairs of glasses to keep up with!

Such an exciting life I lead, isn't it? No matter how boring or exciting or hard you think your life may be, try to be thankful, because it is very likely that someone else is living a life even more so. Me? Tonight I'm enjoying the warm little wiggle worm next to me and the picture of that cute little reindeer up there. That's Bethy enjoying her class Christmas party. What's your reindeer for today?

Testing, testing, 1-2-3...

I'm testing e-mail posting so I can inundate you from my phone. Watch out, world!

Internet Awesomesauce

Some cool stuff I saw around the interwebs this week:

Photo via Geeks are Sexy

Geekgerbread Choose your realm: Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Portal, and Star Trek.

Photo via Wild Olive

Sweet, kid-safe creche Use it as an ornament, door hanger, or meaningful Christmas lovey for your little love.

Awesomeness from some local high school students.

Photo via The Pineapple Room

Gorgeous angel wings - made of cardboard, if you can believe it!

Photo via E-junkie

Amazing wood chip sculptures

Friday Fill-Ins - Christmas Lyric Version

1. Sleigh bells ring are you list'nin'? In the lane snow is glist'nin'. A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walkin' in a winter wonderland.

2. It's coming on Christmas, they're cutting down trees somethingsomething singing songs of joy and peace. 

3. You're a mean one Mr. Grinch.

4. Father Christmas come our way, fill our hearts with love today. 

5. Silent night holy night. If only I could sleep tonight...

6. All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth (but really someone to clean my house)!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a whole lotta nuthin', tomorrow my plans include a little Christmas prep and a nap and Sunday, I want to start tackling this stinkin' living room - it's driving me crazy!

Here's my favorite version of River:

Counting List

ASL number signs

I've been prompted to write a list or to discuss what kinds of things I count. So I'm making a list of things that I count. I tend to be a counter anyway and find that I count things without thinking, but here are a few things that I'm conscious of counting.

1. crochet stitches - I count stitches when I start any project, but making hats especially turns me into a counting nut.
2. train cars (though I'm trying to stop myself from doing that because it makes me woozy)
3. tea bags - gotta have my tea!
4. I joked with someone yesterday that I ought to start counting my kids like teachers do to make sure I've got them all!
5. e-mails - I find myself fascinated with how many e-mails I automatically delete. I'm working on unsubscribing from those that I usually delete, so hopefully I'll stop counting that soon.

So here's another list:

• Are you a counter? 
• What do you find yourself counting without thinking? 
• If you have a counting habit, does your counting habit bother you?

And just in case you're not thoroughly convinced I'm a complete loon, here's one of my favorite childhood songs:

Crochet Half-Double Crochet (HDC) Circle

I swap a lot on Swap-bot and have been enjoying monthly dishcloth swaps. I recently sent a partner the circular cloth you see. In her rating, she asked if I could share the pattern with her, so I wrote it down. I thought others might be interested to see how I make a circle, so I decided to share it here. Feel free to ask any questions if I haven't been clear.

Note: This pattern is shared freely for personal use only. Thank you for respecting my wishes.

Crystal's HDC Flat Circle Cloth

Round 1: Using magic circle, chain 2 (counts as first hdc), 5 hdc in ring - 6 stitches; do not join - piece is worked in a spiral 

Round 2: 2 hdc in each hdc around - 12 stictches 

Round 3: (2 hdc in next hdc, hdc in next hdc) around 

Round 4: (2 hdc in next hdc, hdc in next 2 hdc) around 

Round 5: (2 hdc in next hdc, hdc in next 3 hdc) around 

Round 6: (2 hdc in next hdc, hdc in next 4 hdc) around 

Round 7: (2 hdc in next hdc, hdc in next 5 hdc) around 

Continue increasing rounds until desired size is reached 

To taper and end: stop at final increase of round; sc in half of remaining hdc of round; sl st in remaining hdc in round; finish off

Be Brave, Piglet

So here's the prompt I got today: Where do you go to be brave? Is it your home? The gym? Your journal? Where is the place you are bravest? When are the times you are the most brave?

Sadly, I'm only brave at home. I can stand up to all the world's injustices as home, but step outside my door and I become the female Clark Kent or Peter Parker. I'm working on it, but really, I'm not changing the world here. But I want to. Does that count?

Nope.

As the saying (or some version of it) goes, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Ranting at home to my husband, or my kids, or the cat may feel like I'm doing something, but it's not really. Really doing something is going to the person or people that can change what's wrong. My husband can't change the school's policies. My kids can't make churches treat people right. The cat certainly can't (and probably wouldn't if he could because cats don't care as long as they're fed and petted when they want) stop an unconstitutional law from being passed.

Whatever we may see as evil will only be defeated when we - you and me - stand up for what is right. Yeah, it's scary. Yeah, laughter will probably follow us. We may be blown off, scorned, disfellowshipped, or arrested. But truth must out, and as another saying goes,

Friday Fill-Ins

1. As I neared the light display I'd seen countless times before, I couldn't help but feel that child-like giddiness again. 

2. Have a New Kid By Friday is what I'm reading right now. It's giving me a game plan to turn my family life around. 

3. I didn't start out this way, really. Before taking Speech and Theatre classes from Larry Wisdom, I barely spoke above a whisper. Now, I have the supreme joy of reading books aloud to children and being told I'm a great storyteller. 

4. I'd like to tell them off, to tell the truth. 

5. The best way to enjoy a cold day is in a comfy seat with a blanket, a book, and a good cup of tea. 

6. This is the reason I am fun to kids - part of me has never grown up! 

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner at Mom's, taking the kids to see Christmas lights, and sleep, of course, tomorrow my plans include the church's Christmas dinner and Sunday, I want to see if not speaking all day will get my voice back!

New App Alert: The Sounds of Night

Do you have a child that is afraid of the dark? All those unfamiliar sounds and shadows can really spook a person! Now, "there's an app for that." A new book app called The Sounds of Night helps kids understand what all the noise is about and why there's no need to be afraid. There's a version for Apple and Android, too!

My daughter Bethany enjoyed the app, and especially like touching the pictures to discover the sounds and animations that would appear. When she touched the tree on one page, the word "tree" appeared and the narrator said the word for her. As a mom, I really like that the app includes an educational element to help with early literacy. On some of the later pages of the book, the word appears without the sound, but I like the sound and the print together. There are four verses about fear at the end of the book. I'd like to see an update that includes those being read aloud, too. Nothing is perfect from the beginning; overall, though, I think this is a great app right out of the gate.

ABOUT THE APP

DESCRIPTION: The Sounds of Night is a book app that helps put a child's mind at ease when the lights go out at bedtime. This book addresses one of the primary feelings young children face; fear. The Sounds of Night reinforces the principle that God is the Creator of every creature. Since God makes all the animals that scurry and screech at night, children can lie down and sleep in peace. FEATURES: The Sounds of Night has over 75 touch points/interactions. It has rich illustrations and 4 Bible verses on fear that kids can learn with their parents and share with their friends. DEVELOPMENT: Jessica Kirkland is a member of Moms with Apps. She recently launched Christian Apps 4 Kids, which seeks to draw kids closer to Christ one app at a time. Her inaugural app is a result of the fear that was such a part of her life: In every season of life, the Enemy would whisper the lie that I would “never make it” to the next. I believed it. Time and time again, I thought his words held power. As a young child, I never thought I would live to see my school years. Once I entered school, I never thought I would live to see the next day, next grade, or milestone in life. I listened to a very real enemy, even though I didn’t want to. Even though I came from a strong, Christian family, I felt powerless to stop the lies. Fear gripped me, stole from me, and taunted every careful step I took. Jessica believes the only way to be free from fear, as an adult or child, is to replace fearful thoughts with God's Word. Her desire for each book project is that they not only build character, but help set kids free. The book app was developed in partnership with ROAR.   LINKS: The Sounds of Night in Apple iTunes  The Sounds of Night in Android Marketplace Promotional Video ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessica Kirkland Jessica Kirkland lives in Southeast Texas with her husband, Robb, and five-year-old triplets. She is an author and speaker whose greatest passion in life is to see young families grow deeper in their walk with God. Jessica's newest adventure includes launching Christian Apps 4 Kids, which seeks to draw kids closer to Christ one app at a time. A recent release is a book app that addresses fear and scary nighttime sounds called The Sounds of Night, designed for kids ages 2-8. When Jessica isn't writing, you can find her cheering her boys on at the soccer field, or watching her little girl at the dance studio. To find out more about her current writing projects, connect with her at:www.christianapps4kids.com or on her personal blog: www.jessicakirkland.com GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY

$75 Best Buy Gift Card One commenter will be chosen at random to be entered into a grand-prize drawing for a $75 Best Buy gift card! Simply leave a comment on this post telling us what you've done so far to help your child get over fear of the dark. Leave your comment before 11:59 pm on December 15. The winner will be announced on December 19. Good luck!

Proud to be chosen as a prizey editor's pick!

Disclaimer: I was given a free redemption code for the app to review; no other compensation was given.

Friday Fill-Ins

1. One of my favorite things about December is Rankin-Bass Christmas shows.
2. I like handmade ornaments!
3. This is what I'm hoping for today/tonight: some rest because tomorrow is going to be a very long day.
4. Does there have to be constant noise?
5. Ooh, a bed - I need to test it with a nap.
6. Salvation Army bells are ringing!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to quiet before the storm of tomorrow, tomorrow my plans include seeing Brandon help a Brother Scout with his Eagle Project, Mineola MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Breakfast with Santa and the Christmas parade with my Brownie Girl Scouts and Sunday, I want to sleep for a long, long time!

Friday Fill-Ins

1. One of my favorite things about December is Rankin-Bass Christmas shows.
2. I like handmade ornaments!
3. This is what I'm hoping for today/tonight: some rest because tomorrow is going to be a very long day.
4. Does there have to be constant noise?
5. Ooh, a bed - I need to test it with a nap.
6. Salvation Army bells are ringing!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to quiet before the storm of tomorrow, tomorrow my plans include seeing Brandon help a Brother Scout with his Eagle Project, Mineola MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Breakfast with Santa and the Christmas parade with my Brownie Girl Scouts and Sunday, I want to sleep for a long, long time!