Seven Tidbits

Long ago, as I was putting away our Christmas decorations, I snapped these pictures and intended to post them right away. It, like so many other things I plan, never happened. But it's not too late to show the dangers of putting a nativity set where little hands can reach it.

Did you notice what happened to Jesus? His left hand got amputated! Oh, no!

Poor Jesus. We'll try to take better care of Him next year. Although I LOVE having a wooden set that our boys can set up and rearrange and get up close and personal with (like they did in this video from December), it obviously has its disadvantages. And here I thought wood pieces would be unbreakable...

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My knees are noisy. Every time I go up or down steps, they creak audibly. I wouldn't do a very good job of sneaking up on someone if I had to ascend or descend stairs to do so.

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My allergies have been bothering me recently, so last night, in the middle of the night, I got up and used some nasal spray to try to calm them down. Nasal spray doesn't bother me at all. Putting eye drops in my eyes is very difficult for me, however. Jeff is just the opposite: he regularly puts eye drops in his eyes, since he wears contacts; but he doesn't like nasal sprays one bit. I think nasal spray is easier. ;)

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Another thing I wanted to write about, back in the cold, snowy days of January, was the Harmonia Sacra singing that I went to on New Years Day. Attending that singing has become a much-loved tradition for me. The thought that stood out to me the most this past time was how those very same songs have been sung for over 200 years. If I stop for a moment and let my mind try to grasp the people - the real, flesh-and-blood, loving-God, struggling-against-sin, working-in-the-fields-or-the-shops, baking-biscuits, nursing-babies, tickling-children, going-for-evening-walks people - it's so encouraging to think of being part of the great procession of the faithful. In every time, God has His people. We are not the first to burst on the scene with new revelations or zeal like the world has never known. We continue the line. We are links in the chain, a chain which extends from Adam and Eve until the end of time when the faithful are together forever with God and each other in heaven. Wow!

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On a less lofty note, I tried Meredith's recipe for Cream Cheese Pound Cake for strawberry shortcake last night for supper. Our neighbors across the way are growing strawberries to sell this year, so we are blessed with an abundant, fresh supply. I was happy to fork over my $15.75 for a gallon of beautiful red berries last evening, and I thought Meredith's recipe was scrumptious! The recipe we always used for shortcake when I was a girl is less sweet and more like a biscuit; we would pour milk over the whole thing and eat it that way...the country way. :) Jeff was more accustomed to a sweet cake, and his family would put whipped cream on the top. No milk. :) When I spotted Meredith's recipe, I realized it would be more similar to what Jeff would like, so I decided to make it, and I'm so glad I did. I think I've found our family's new favorite way to make shortcake. And what is the month of May without homemade strawberry shortcake?!

Another new recipe we've loved is Brittany's Asian Coleslaw Salad. In fact, I'm making it again tomorrow evening for our fellowship potluck.

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Shav is now a working man.

Yesterday he earned his first $20, just for being part of a research study at our local university. They are studying the way babies, deaf and hearing, learn language, particularly the similarities and differences between their reaction to sign language. Shav sat on my lap, did great, and got some money to put in his savings account. Not bad for about a half hour of his time.

If any of you locals have babies that are younger than 11 months and are interested in having them participate in a study (there are several going on), you can contact me and I can give you more info about it.

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I've saved the best for last. :)

The other big part of Shav's day yesterday was a photo shoot with Misty. She needed some more baby boy pictures for her portfolio, she said, so she asked if she could please come and take some pictures of him. Well, of course, she could! Anytime! Really! We'll volunteer for that duty any day!!!

She emailed last night and said over the next few days, she'll be putting some of the pictures on her blog. You know I'll be checking it frequently. :)

Here's the first picture:

I'm pretty sure, even if I wasn't his mom, I would think he was absolutely, positively, undeniably, 100%...

ADORABLE!!!