He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11 NIV

I had tears in my eyes; it really spoke to my heart. Here are a few more versions:

He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. Isaiah 40:11 NLT

Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. Isaiah 40:11 NASB

I’d like to share some lovely commentary on these verses:

The love with which He tends this flock is shown, by way of example, in His conduct towards the טלאים ( equals טליים from טלי equals טלה), the young lambs that have not long been born, and the עלות, those giving suck, lactantes (Vulg. fetae), not those that are sucking, sugentes (from עוּל med. Vav, to nourish). Such as cannot keep pace with the flock he takes in his arms, and carries in the bosom of his dress; and the mothers he does not overdrive, but ינהל (see at Psalm 23:2), lets them go gently alone, because they require care (Genesis 33:13). From Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Shall gently lead those that are with young “The nursing ewes shall he gently lead” – A beautiful image, expressing, with the utmost propriety as well as elegance, the tender attention of the shepherd to his flock. That the greatest care in driving the cattle in regard to the dams and their young was necessary, appears clearly from Jacob’s apology to his brother Esau, Genesis 33:13 : “The flocks and the herds giving suck to their young are with me; and if they should be overdriven, all the flock will die.” Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible

He shall gather the lambs with his arm – This is a most beautiful expression, denoting the care of God the Saviour for the feeblest and weakest of his people, and for the young and feeble in years and piety. A similar thing is often done by a shepherd. The tender lamb, unable to keep up with the flock, becomes weary and exhausted; and the shepherd naturally takes it in his arms and carries it. Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

*This verse, then, is not just for mothers, but for anyone who is tired, run-down, worn-out, haggard, exhausted, weary…if you feel you are falling behind at the back of the flock, the Good Shepherd sees you and longs to take you in his arms. But he is a gentle shepherd and will not force the issue, you must be willing.

Motherhood is hard. There is so much to do even in the most basic form; keeping them fed, clothed, sheltered and educated so that they can grow and hopefully become decent human beings who contribute (positively) to society. But, of course, there’s more to it than that. Good mothers know how important it is that their kids know they are loved and valued so we spend time with them. We want them to develop their talents and friendships so we put time and money into extra-curricular activities. We talk with them, play with them, read to them, take them places, buy them things, throw them parties. We invest in our children. As for Christian mothers, we are called even one step more; to “train up a child in the way he should go” spiritually. This is a tall order. No wonder moms so often feel overwhelmed!

Add in to the equation TV shows and movies where every line is scripted and all problems are solved within half an hour, blogs and websites (I’m thinking Pinterest) where women can put fragments of themselves – always the best fragments – on display, and now not only do many moms feel overwhelmed, they feel guilty, too!

If you are feeling overwhelmed and guilty, if you are feeling like you are lagging at the back of the pack, can I just encourage you to give it up to Jesus and let the Good Shepherd carry you? Let him just hold you in his arms for a while. And when he sets you down, follow him. Only him. Not books, or tv shows, or blogs, or your mom, or the moms in your neighborhood. Just him.

The Bible tells us:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

Submit yourself and your children to him. Ask him for his wisdom daily (or hourly…or minutely, if needed) and he will give it to you! He will show you what needs to be done and when. He will show you what to say and what not to say. He’ll show you what’s important…and what maybe is not so important.

He sees you.
He understands you.
And if you let him…
…He will willingly carry you.
He will gently lead you.
He will fully instruct you.

So then,

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Here are the two Barred Rock chickies:

Barred Rock

And here are the Amerecaunas:

Amerecaunas

They are so, so much fun to watch. They love being outside and will hunt and peck and scratch for hours. When one finds a bug, watch out! It’s a fighting, feeding frenzy! I’m so glad these little beauties are a part of our lives!

Once at the mall, we ate at the Rainforest Cafe, visited the PEEPS store (yay!), spent a good deal of time (and moolah) at the Lego store, and had fun visiting a few other places like a toy store, game store, etc. We did Nick Studios the second day, which was pretty much an all day event. Luke and Ben rode a bunch of rides, Gabe and I took it easy. Luke found that he liked ribs so we ate at Famous Dave’s. We picked up easy dinner stuff from a nearby Whole Foods. I forgot how much I like that place….and how pricey they are. The next day was IKEA!! Woohoo! I had my eye on some shelves for the library/schoolroom/craftroom/office. We decided they could be my birthday present. This was another all-day event. For dinner, we went to a place called Galactic Pizza where we had great gluten-free, vegan, pizza and awesome service. Also, the delivery guys dress up as superheroes. What’s not to like?

On Saturday we packed up and got an early start. It was, after all, the day before Easter and we wanted to get an early start! The drive home seemed to take forever, but it always does! We made good time and were able to unload and put everything away before collapsing into bed!

Here are the only two pictures I took on this trip:

A view from the Guthrie Theater:

The Mill

My Pizza-Lovin’ Guys:

Galatic Pizza

Head Table

Here is our cupcake decorating station with all kinds of goodies such as, Troll Bogies, Love Potion sprinkles, Swamp Sludge (chocolate syrup), etc.

Cupcake decorating station

More Cupcake Goodies

Here’s our birthday banner, made from pages of a thrift store Harry Potter Book.

Happy Birthday Banner

Herbology 101

We also had a “care of magical creatures” class where we made cute owls out of paper plates, but, apparently, I didn’t take pictures of that part! Whoops.

We had a lot of fun with this party and were able to keep it from being too “witchy” since several friends and family members barely tolerate HP.

Simple Butterbeer Punch

Closed, with the scissors to keep the flaps down for the picture:

Marauder's Map

Opening to:

The map (with birthday details off to the side):

I found some awesome paper on Amazon.com. You really don’t want anything too thick, like a cardstock or they won’t fold well. I used the paper to print the maps onto and to make envelopes. I then glued the envelopes closed and sealed them with red sealing wax. Looked pretty cool, if I do say so myself. If only I could have had them delivered by owl. Oh well.

I liked him okay, but he didn’t really fit in well with our decor. So I ended up giving him a perch on a stack of books…behind the television. Then, a few days ago, I was digging around in the basement when I came across an old can of glossy black spray paint. And I knew what I had to do. A few hours later and I had this:

Mr. Owl got himself a little face lift. And a promotion with more visibility.

One of these will be printed up and put in a frame:

I’m going to be using this printable Marauder’s Map for the invites: It’s free and so very cool!

We’ll be hitting up the thrift store for a HP book or two to make this cute-yet-cheap banner.

Instead of a fancy cake, I’m going to give everyone a plain cupcake and let them decorate their own. I’m thinking I’ll set up a “potions” area where all the sprinkles, candies, etc, are with a sign that reads “pick your poison”. Tee hee.

Last, but not least, we’ll serve some type of butter beer. Still looking for the perfect recipe.

When I look into your eyes
It’s like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
There’s so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you’ve come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?

I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up

And when you’re needing your space
To do some navigating
I’ll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find

‘Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We’ve got a lot to learn
God knows we’re worth it
No, I won’t give up

I don’t wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I’m here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you’re still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn’t break, we didn’t burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I’ve got, and what I’m not
And who I am

I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up
Still looking up.

I won’t give up on us (no I’m not giving up)
God knows I’m tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)
We’ve got a lot to learn (we’re alive, we are loved)
God knows we’re worth it (and we’re worth it)

I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up

I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz

Starry Night Over the Rhone

Over the years, I’ve found there are many obstacles to celebrating. Some feel that if you are on a strict budget, then you can’t celebrate anything. Some feel that they aren’t creative enough. Some feel guilty that they don’t deserve to celebrate; it’s somehow frivolous. Some even feel it’s not very Christian to celebrate: our time, energy, money could be better used elsewhere. Or, my personal favorite, many feel it’s too much work and not appreciated, so why bother in the first place? I’m sure there are more!

I’ve struggled with many of those things over the years.

I’ve learned to say POO to all of them.

No, actually, I’ll go one step further; I’ll call those out as excuses. Lies. Little things that fester and grow until they become yet another way joy is stolen from our lives. I decided, years ago, to go ahead and make some more room for joy. For celebration. When was the last time you truly celebrated something or someone? For some of us, it’s a learning curve. But it’s so worth it!

Here are my thoughts on celebrating…

Budget: We live in a culture of big spenders and it’s super hard not to get swept up up, or beaten down by it. I could go on and on about this, but suffice it to say there are a lot of great, cheap ideas out there. Today, for instance, we celebrated Valentine’s Day and I hardly spent anything. I picked up a few goodies for the boys on Christmas clearance and stored them away. Walgreen’s had a couple of great candy deals that I took advantage of. I made cute little goody bags by using pinking shears to cut down plain brown paper lunch sacks which I then decorated with stickers. I decorated the table with my white tablecloth and any white and pink decorations I had on hand, with my wedding cake topper serving as the centerpiece. I pulled out the good china and utensils. I scrounged up two pink paper napkins (the last!) and opened them, and put them catty-corner on table with me decorations on top – just enough splash of color. I cut the bacon in half and arranged them to look like hearts. I made heart-shaped pancakes. I sprinkled a dash of pink sugar on the pancakes. Chocolate-dipped strawberries were on the side. Done. I can honestly say I maybe spent $10 and the boys were absolutely in awe. It can be done!

Creativity:For some reason, we tend to think that we have to come up with ideas totally on our own. So not true. Great artists throughout history study and replicate the works of artists who came before them. There’s no shame in that. They let a work inspire them, they put their own twist on it, their own interpretation, and then they go from there. We should follow in their footsteps. Honestly, this excuse is just that: an excuse. The library is a great resource. The internet: Pinterest.com, google, blogs, etc, etc, etc. There are so many ideas out there, just waiting to be found!

Guilt: There’s so much suffering in this world. We have so much and are blessed beyond measure as it is. How can we sit here, with a banquet spread before us, with gifts, laughter, and joy, when so many are without? If this is something you struggle with, I encourage you to dig into the Word of God. His Word is FULL of celebrations, and banquets, and remembrances. Celebrating is good. Joy is good. Rest is good. God has given all of these things to us. Pray, read scripture, and ask God to speak to you in this area.

Worthwhile: Oooh, I’ve struggled with this! Sometimes (who am I kidding, MOST times), things do not go as planned! I often feel stressed when I’m trying to pull together a large meal. I’ve got this needing to be stirred here, and that needing to be flipped there, and on and on, all at the same time. Or something totally flops. Or, Maybe the meal and decor and gifts all work fine, but the day ends and all I’m left with is a big mess to clean up. It can seem like a whole lot of work for a whole lot of ‘nuthin. But then I remembered all those birthdays and holidays of my childhood that went by with barely a blip. And I know it’s all worthwhile. I remember that it’s a joy and a privilege to serve my family and bring joy into their lives!

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Now, a few little tips…

Decide to celebrate!
Plan it all in advance. Gather your ideas a couple of weeks in advance. If there is anything you can make, assemble, decorate, clean, etc, do that as far out as possible! It will make the day-of go so much more smoothly! Don’t forget to stick to your budget, and don’t feel badly about delegating when/where you can!
Doit! Forget perfectionism and strive for excellence. Keep a cheerful, celebratory attitude and no one will notice if this is a bit overdone and that’s drooping a bit, or those two whatevers don’t match exactly. Let yourself have fun, too!

Now, with all of that said, here are a couple of pictures from our breakfast not-quite-perfect-but-perfect-for-us Valentine’s Day celebration.

Bacon Hearts!

Lovers - 1869 by Pai Merse Szinyei

Come up to meet you, tell you I’m sorry
You don’t know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart

Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions
Oh, let’s go back to the start
Running in circles, coming up tails
Heads on a science apart

Nobody said it was easy
It’s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh, take me back to the start

I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart

But tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are

Nobody said it was easy
Oh, it’s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I’m going back to the start
- The Scientist by Coldplay