Drummer Boy Video

As requested. . .

My Little Drummer Boy

Josh has been teaching Caleb how to play the Cajon (click here for more info on this cool instrument). What Caleb is lacking in skill, he makes up for in enthusiasm!

Life as a Leaf

John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

A leaf in God's wind. . . that is exactly what I feel like. One minute I am firmly attached to the tree, plugged in and being nourished. The next moment, the wind is blowing with such force that I am shaken from the security of the branches and flying helplessly through the air to only-God-knows-where. At first, it is scary, a helpless free-fall. And then I am reminded that I am but a leaf in God's wind. I am caught up, a tiny leaf, in an exhilarating windstorm. Do I trust Him? I must! He has created me, sustained me and graciously filled my life with blessing upon blessing. He cares for the sparrows and dresses the lilies; surely He will care for me, too.

I am but a leaf in God's wind. Really. . . we all are.

Friday Favorite: My Fishy Pickle

I love my Fishy Pickle ( my nickname for my Fisher & Paykel Washer). In most cases, a washer isn't something that one spends much time thinking about, but that is because, in most cases, one does not own a Fishy Pickle Washing Machine. These washers are great. . . seriously.

1) Fishy Pickles are mechanically superior.

When I was researching washers and dryers a few years ago, I learned about how washers work. Most washers have upwards of 200 moving parts! The Fisher Paykel operates on a direct drive system. How many moving parts, you ask? 16 (I'm going from memory here. . . it was either 6 or 16 so I opted for the larger number)! In my book, that translates to 178 fewer parts that can break.

2) Fishy Pickles are economical to operate.

There are two reasons the FP is economical. The first is that it requires about 1/3 the amount of soap a traditional top-load washer requires. Second, it spins at such a high speed that the clothes come out nearly dry. That means less time running the dryer.

3) Fishy Pickles are environmentally friendly.

Thanks to the Eco-Smart system, the FP has a auto-fill sensor that only fills the washer to actual level required. If there are only two articles of clothing in the washer, it will use only the amount of water needed to wash two articles of clothing. That amounts to a lot of water conservation!


4) Fishy Pickles are practical.

Last, but not least, the washer has a "delay start" feature on it that I absolutely love. I hate for my wet, clean clothes to sit in the washer for long but there are times when I can't wait around to get a load moved over to the dryer. I love being able to load my clothes at night and delay the start so that I have freshly washed clothes when I wake up in the morning. Why aren't all washers equipped with this??

I've owned this washer for about 4 years and, honestly, every time I put a load in to wash, I think to myself how glad I am that I bought this model. Sounds like an over-exaggeration, but I am telling the truth! I love my Fishy Pickle.

Going Once, Going Twice. . .

SOLD!

This morning, after only two days on the market, we signed the contract and entered the 30-day escrow period. Wow. . .God didn't waste any time.

Next step: Figure out where to live as of April 21st. Please be praying.

They came in by twosie, twosies

For Sale

Know anyone that is looking for a nice house in a quiet neighborhood? If so, send them my way.

I hate moving, but sometimes, you know it's time. Josh and I have been praying about this for several months and agree that God is leading us in a new direction. The first step: sell our house. We are waiting on God to see what the next step is. Exciting but scary. Believe me. . . we will keep you updated! In the meantime, please be praying that God would bring along just the right buyer.

Friday Favorite: Tulips

Nothing says spring better than the sight of Tulips sprouting up in my backyard! I like to call them Easter Eggs on a Stick .

Going Bananas Bread

I recently purchased a LARGE bunch of bananas, half of which turned brown before we could eat them. Why I purchased such a large bunch, I'll never know (call it Costco fever!). But don't worry. . . not a single banana went to waste. They got mushed up and baked into one of the best Banana Bread recipes I've found.

Hope you enjoy.

Going Bananas Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 generous cup mashed bananas
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts/pecans
5 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x5 loaf pan.
2. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add egg and bananas. Stir until just mixed.
3. Add flour, soda, powder, salt & cinnamon. (You can either sift the ingredients before adding OR dump them on top of the batter and use a fork to stir them slightly before mixing with rest of batter.) Mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
4. Stir in nuts, milk and vanilla.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50-60 minutes, or until top is browned and cracked. Halfway through cooking time, sprinkle the top of the loaf with cinnamon and sugar for an added treat.

A Birthday Wish for Aunt Joanna

Caleb didn't realize he was supposed to hold the sign, not eat it. Oh well!




Happy Birthday! Hope this message makes it to China on time!

Opportunity knocked this morning, but I asked her to leave.

Around 10:30 this morning, two young women rang my doorbell. It was evident from the way they were dressed and the books they were carrying that they were Jehovah's Witnesses. I had just put Caleb down for a nap and was still in my morning lounge-around clothes, in the middle of getting ready for the day. I hesitated, but decided to open the door.

They smiled and greeted me, apologizing for the interruption and explaining that they were going door to door to encourage people to read their Bibles. I politely told them that I agreed with their campaign to read the Bible but that I disagreed with their religion, specifically their view of the deity of Christ and his role as our Savior and Lord. They asked me if they could ask me some further questions, but I said I was not interested. I wished them a good day and closed the door. 30 seconds was all it took to hear their brief introduction and send them away.

As soon as the door was closed, I resumed getting ready for the day. As I was standing in front of the mirror, I felt very convicted. (I don't know why, but standing in front of the mirror often reminds me to examine myself and make confession in prayer.) God reminded me that I had just closed the door on two immortal souls. It wasn't for safety's sake that I had turned them away; unlike others who have knocked on my door, these two young girls were far from physically threatening. I had simply not seen them as Christ would have seen them, lost and in need of a Savior. I had seen them as a nuisance.

I quickly finished getting ready, woke Caleb from his nap, and loaded him in the stroller. I headed out the front door, scanning the street to see if I could find them. I walked around the neighborhood twice, hoping to encounter them, to invite them back to my house to sit in the front yard and talk.

The neighborhood was as quiet as one would expect for a weekday morning. I searched the streets near my house but never found the two girls. I can only pray that another Christian had invited them in and was being lighter and saltier than I had been.

It's fine and dandy to think of sharing Christ to the far reaches of the world, but it really ought to start at my own front door. Next time opportunity knocks, I plan to offer her lemonade and friendship and Christ.

Exploring Career Options

Stop, drop and. . . crawl!

Fireman hat, firetruck pj's and firetruck shoes. . . where's the fire?

Whoah! It's hard to balance with this hat on my head!

So, this is what a teething Fireman looks like!

Make-Up Monday

The Evidence: The (New and Improved) Front Flowerbed

Today is Make-up Monday, wherein I attempt to make amends for last week's missing Friday Favorite post by offering you a great excuse (see below) and an evidentiary photo (see above) to corroborate my alibi . I hope it works!

The Excuse: Caleb and I spent all day Thursday and Friday working in the yard, planting flowers. The sunshine, not the computer, was beckoning us!

So. . . had I posted last week's Friday Favorite, I would have undoubtedly mentioned my favorite gardening shoes: Anywears

My literary friend

My friend, Christianne, was recently published in a Christian Magazine. I thought her article was excellent and thought provoking. Check it out.

Happy Five Month Birthday!

New Links--New Prayer Request

You'll notice two new friends under my links--Haiti Trip and Live from London. These are links to the blogs of two of Josh's and my good friends.

D.V. is going to be serving Christ in Haiti for the next several months, perhaps longer depending on how long it takes to complete the work there. He is helping with the concrete, tile work and construction of a hospital, which will be used to minister to the Hatians by the long-term missionaries who are currently serving that area.

Luke is serving in London for a year, working with international students at an outreach center called Lee Abbey. He will have direct contact with hundreds of students as they pass through the facility.

Please keep them both in your prayers. They are committed to seeing the Gospel of Christ spread throughout the world and have willingly given up their time and resources to actively pursue that end.

Mommy's Helper

Caleb has decided that he wants to be part of the Industrious Revolution (the half-hour of exersaucer play hasn't been working the last few days). I've been trying to figure out what to do with him while I'm doing house work.

Here's my solution for the laundry room.

Works for me; works for him.

(For the safety conscious among you: the basket is usually on the ground not on the dryer. The dryer made a better backdrop, though.)

Future Church Pianist?

Fun in the Spring Sun

Friday Favorites: Toothpaste

My friend, Jessica, recently started a "Works for Me Wednesday" string on her blog and I loved the idea. So. . . welcome to the first "Friday Favorites" post.

This week is the ever important topic, toothpaste. Oh, it may sound trite to some of you, but at the Redin house, this is one of those things that gets top billing. Clean teeth are an obsession around here (our dentist loves us)! After extensive research, we believe that we have discovered the toothpaste that offers the best in cleansing power, whitening effectiveness, and breath-freshening potency. All this AND it is available in a 4-pack at Costco.

And, for an even more powerful bad-breath-busting experience, try this trick: wet your toothbrush in Listerine (Cool Mint flavor) instead of water. The Listerine/Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste duo is unrivaled in bad breath killing capabilities!