Eucharisteo Moment

Eucharisteo - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember as thanks to the Lord. 

25 weeks

Here is the usual pregnancy update: 25 weeks!

The baby is 13 1/2 inches long and weighs about 1 1/2 pounds. Things are really moving along now, especially little Isabella. She is kicking with gusto! The one set back is my back, which always gets bad in pregnancy. It is happening so very early this time, really it started at about 12-13 weeks, but is now really bad. I can make it usually all day as long as I don't sit down and get stuck and then in the evening it's Icy-hot and Tylenol in order to get to sleep. But hey, she's worth it!

Here are some crafts I've been working on lately for her

I hand stamped this onesie and then set the ink with a hot iron.

Here's a batch of burpcloths I made with a little extra detail...

I'm looking forward to patting that little back with this burpcloth!

the art of hospitality

Recently, our family has been reading "the Hobbit" before bedtime. The children absolutely love the story so far, it is my first time to read it as well so I am just as riveted.  We read chapter three last night..the words were tantalizing...

"His (Elrond) house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Evil things did not come into that valley. I wish I  had time to tell you even a few of the tales or one or two of the songs that they heard in that house. All of them, the ponies as well, grew refreshed and strong in a few days there. Their clothes were mended as well as their bruises, their tempers and their hopes. Their bags were filled with food and provisions light to carry but strong to bring them over the mountain passes. Their plans were improved with the best advice."

As I read this aloud, I couldn't help but think that this is such a wonderful example of what we as women should strive for in hospitality. Our plans and goals shouldn't be perfection in a clean home, having things "just so". But rather our goal should be refreshing those around us. Whether that be our family, our friends, or perfect strangers. Our goal should be to bless, to be merry, to feast well, to make one comfortable. Our children should have this regularity in their lives, not only the way Mom makes the home, but also in the way they serve others as a means of hospitality. We need to desire to mend and heal those who are hurting and bruised as well as their tempers and hopes. We wives need to do this most importantly for our husbands: to greet them, mend their tempers, fill them with good food, make them strong again with our love, mend their clothes, sing, sit and think with them, pray with them and send them off each day with good provisions and even better advice. May you be challenged and encouraged by this sweet little passage to an adventurous book!

lots of red and pink going on...

Some of my children have pink eye. Just when we thought we were done with one kid and a few days had passed, along comes another kid. We also have colds and sore throats. More changing of the sheets, lysoling here, there and everywhere: part of the territory with motherhood. But the weather has been chilly and so we don't mind snuggling in and mending. This weekend I dusted off some projects I've been meaning to do, as well as some yummy ones I've been wanting to do.
I made apple chips..using this recipe. They don't last long in our house. Everyone devours them at quite a quick pace! These are organic. These are addicting.

I also made an apple pie. It's been awhile. Pie has it's own healing properties.

I found a desk on the side of the road in our neighborhood the other day. We were in great need of an extra one. This one was going to go to the trash if someone didn't take it. My hubby grabbed it and fixed it up. I would show you the before and after, but the before was plain wood covered with teenager graffiti. The kind with stupid Justin Beeber lyrics and silly pictures drawn everywhere. So I'm just going to show you the beautiful after... Voila!

(ignore the ugly cords, I'm going to make a small curtain or something to cover up those bad boys)

The other project I worked on all day. It was something I've literally probably needed to do for about five years now.Confession: I am really bad about seeing some great recipe online, printing it out and sticking it in some cookbook or in it's own growing pile. So I finally bit the bullet, organized them all, three-hole-punched them, put them in their own binders with tabs to extra-organize them. I know, it would have been an easy task to do awhile back, but we're talking hundreds of recipes, so ya, it took awhile.

Here is the finished product. Ahhh, much better!

What projects have you been doing???