twin babies talking. a must see...

Some of you may have already seen some of this on
ABC's Good Morning America. 
For those that haven't...you've gotta watch it! 
It's amazing...they know exactly what they're saying to each other...
voice inflections and all!
It's funny...they're so expressive...hands, feet, laughter...
This is truly priceless! 

Congratulations to http://www.twinmamarama.com/ for capturing
these memories of her precious ones!  Thanks for sharing!!

a dash of this. a smidgen of that...

Blessings and curses...random thoughts and such...


...getting gussied-up is still fun


...cold viruses can drain your energy like no other


...our three oldest children are grown and happily married; the youngest is single but "in a relationship"...it is still an overwhelming joy to be their momma

...our children's spouses are some of God's most tender expressions of love toward our family

...grandchildren can make you lose all perspective  (Can I get a witness?!?)

...there's nothin' quite like an afternoon or evening of music with family and friends

...it's not a good idea to dispense coffee if you do not know how the coffee pot works...you might not be able to turn the spigot off when your cup is full...which might lead you to drop an overflowing cup of hot coffee on a table arrayed with hors d'oeuvres and all over the floor about fifteen minutes before the house doors open to an audience

...it's fun (and humbling) to learn what a phrase in a song really is after you've been singing it incorrectly for years and years...ie: "long rocky beaches" not "long rotten peaches";  "my eyes adored you" not "my eyes of Georgia";  "and the rockets red glare" not "and the rockets ring clear"

...receiving a surprise in the mail never grows old-hat or mundane

...paying a basketball coach not under contract thousands of dollars after he's been fired is the new definition of insanity

...we can disguise the signs of aging for a season but winter will inevitably blow on all of us

...living with true joy and hope in every season is only possible by God's grace through Jesus Christ

...sanctification is a walk...sometimes a shuffle (Tripp)...sometimes a lean in the right direction (Mahaney)

some weekend fun. guilty as charged...

Because this week was a kick-in-the-butt...

Because I have developed a nasty head cold...

I needed a good laugh.

This video posted on Tim Challies definitely delivered!

spaghetti. it could be the answer...

Bethany and Peter gave Hudson spaghetti for the first time Sunday.
He fed himself...and Dublin, their boxer...which was HIL-AIR-EE-OUS!!!!!

Sometimes I think it would help us adults

if we would have fun in our spaghetti every now and then.
Who knows?  It might go a long way toward solving world peace!
It's worth a try!  Don't you think?

as you've done to the least of these...

I saw these photos on the 22 Words blog.

They affected me...each in a different way.

As a whole they remind me of the

harsh realities of this fallen world.

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul

than the way in which it treats its children."

Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa

Photos from James Mollison's book Where Children Sleep

lent. not of the navel...

Sweet Husband and I enjoyed reading a series of advent devotionals in 2010.

So, with today being the first day of lent,

I went a hunting for some lenten devotionals.

I came across this...

...which you can find here...if you care to join me.

"that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age

but also in the one to come."

Ephesians 1:17-21

"judge not the Lord by feeble sense. trust him for his grace..."

It never gets easier to receive hard news.  But, living hard news with hope is possible only because of the gospel.  Thank you, Stephen Altrogge at "The Blazing Center," for this post today...

"It can be so discouraging when we encounter trials. It can be confusing and discouraging, and we can wonder what God is really up to. It can seem like God is distant and far off, or like things are spiraling out of control.

But they’re not. John Newton provides this wonderful reminder:

He drank off the full cup of unmixed wrath for us; shall we then refuse to taste of the cup of affliction at his appointment, especially when his wisdom and love prepare it for us, and proportion every circumstance to our strength; when He put it into our hands, not in anger but in tender mercy, to do us good, to bring us near to himself; and when He sweetens every bitter draught with those comforts which none but He can give? Let us rather say, None of these things move us, neither do we count anything on this side of eternity dear, so that we may finish our course with joy and run with patience the race which is set before us. (Letters of John Newton, pg. 50)

Every trial is prepared by the gracious hands of our Father, and they are given to us not in anger, but in tender mercy. And when God gives us trials, he provides comfort in the midst of those trials that only he can give. He sweetens the bitter draught with experiences of his grace and strength.

God ordains trials, not to push us away from him, but to draw us near to him."

"So, God we trust in you.  Oh, God we trust in you.

When tears are great and comforts few we hope in mercies ever new.

We trust in you."   (Bob Kauflin)