Dear E,

Dear E,

How strange it is that you are gone! Yesterday we were doing family worship and remembered that it was your day to pick the songs. :(
Oh, btw, as I was causally scrolling through your blog feed, my eye caught this post from one of YOUR blog list. An irresistible grin/smirk came over my face and I was going to email it to you but decided to add it to my letter. Who would have thought that there is someone else that likes Andrew Peterson, and is excited enough to blog about it!
I felt like saying, " See, Ted walks to work." (Monster's Inc.) 

 Moving on to other great things...

I have been intending almost every night to just sit down and upload the Kindle to Amazon (and eventually sell it).

As you can see I got a little camera happy with the reflections.

I recovered those iPhone boxes. Do you like them?

Yesterday mom and I were busy bees. Well, I was wanna-be-busy-bee, I had a bunch of things I wanted to do, so I half did everything! At the same time. But I did finish my school.

I finished glossing your signs on Saturday, but the Loyd's weren't there. Oh, well.

One of Mica's delectable gluten free loaves.

I have also been listening to my new album. I am having trouble deciding my favorite.

I have been having some major water kefir problems. I'll save my theories for later, but I've cleaned the grains and am crossing up fingers for good water kefir.
  We all are so excited for your return. Come back with plenty of stories (and tea)!

Love,
Caro :)

P.S I found this neat behind the scenes

clip, when I was listening to a version of "I Dreamed a Dream".
 

Lord Most High

As the picture states, it's from 1994!

Not my most favorite artist's, but these are some songs I enjoy -actually Mica prompted me to post Lord Most High, because it reminded her of her time in Dubai- and they have very worshipful lyrics.

Lord Most High

From the ends of the earth (From the ends of the earth)
From the depth of the sea (From the depth of the sea)
From the height of the heaven (From the height of the heaven)
Your name we raise

From the hearts of the weak (From the hearts of the weak)
From the shouts of the strong (From the shouts of the strong)
From the lips of all people (From the lips of all people)
Your song we raise Lord

Throughout the endless ages
You have be crowed with praises
Lord most high
Exalted in every nation
Your're soverign of all creation
Lord most high
Be magnified

-Hillsong United

There isn't much more to note of this song, it's all there! Here is a little snippet of another song:

I Will Lift My Eyes

"God, my God, I cry out:
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near; calm my fear
 And take my doubt

[Intro]Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in

[Chorus]
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You "

-Bebo Norman

When I read the first few verses in Psalm 121, "I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth. "

I'm always reminded of this song's chorus (and vice versa). I love how the rest of this Psalm continues -kinda like this song does, but, you know, different-  with pointing up to the Lord, "I will lift my eyes", and ends with the comforting words of,

"The Lord will keep, your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore." 

Love,
    Caro :)

Goodbye Nealy's

The best way to think about the last two weeks with the Neal's is cramming three days to one, without the extra days of sleep. I can speak for all of us in saying that we loved every minute of it (cause hey, being exhausted with someone else so much better).

Monday was our "bumming around day", and unintentionally the first day of school for public schooled kids (everyone posting pictures of their kids, all neat and fresh, while we are in our PJ's eating breakfast from morn to eve). We watched movies, and made sure the blinds were shut all day!
 It was great.
Tuesday the Neal's and Mica went to the Vaughn's for the day, Elena baby-sat, and Mom and I cleaned. That was probably the quietest day.

Riding horses with our friends the Bingham's

Wednesday was all-day at the Binghams up in Conroe area, and our Christless Christianity  small group.
All the girls loved going horseback-riding -even Mrs. Jackie went riding. We also made cheese, (some of us) went four-wheeling, and played many rounds of foosball.

Johnny and David.

Making mozzarella goat cheese

 I wasn't around for the actually making of the cheese, but I helped stretch it! Stretching the cheese almost reminded me of warming polymer clay in your hands.

Jo -she was being really cute the day they left.

Thursday we packed a bit, had some friends from morn to afternoon and then had some more friends drop by after dinner.
Friday was busy; 9:30 piano, 10:15 violin, friend for lunch, and dare I mention packing and last minute errands!

Note that these are just the main events in between the basic everyday things (cleaning, blaring loud music while washing the dishes , answering questions, playing multiple rounds of cards and Mancala, laughing over daily incidents, dishing out fish oils,  and making salads)

Getting into the car, after giving hugs and kisses to the Neal's, I was so tired but I already missed them!
 No one to carry down from naptime, talk to at night, put in a headlock, answer wide-eyed questions, or help find their shoes.
Goodbye Nealy's!

The Church's One Foundation

Switzerland 08-14-2003

One of my favorite songs to sing at church!

I  like how this hymn establishes who the Church's One foundation is -Christ!
Then it continues "Her charter of salvation One Lord, one faith, one birth; One holy Name she blesses," which so distinctly reminds me of the Part in Ephesians, "There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

The Church's One Foundation

The church's one Foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is his new creation
By water and the Word:
From heav'n he came and sought her
To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her,
And for her life he died.

Elect from ev'ry nation,
Yet one o'er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food.
And to one hope she presses,
With ev'ry grace endued.

Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, "How long?"
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song.

The church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain and cherish
Is with her to the end;
Though there be those that hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against or foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.

'Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace for evermore;
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great church victorious
Shall be the church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
With the God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with thee.

-Samuel J. Stone (1866) 

 

 As I was vacuuming the living room, I was thinking over what I liked in this song (I do most of my deep and contemplative thinking while I'm vacuuming, supposed to be drifting asleep, and showering), I marveled at how comforting it was to know,
"The church shall never perish! Her dear Lord to defend,".
 I just started reading through a new history book, "2,000 Years of Christ's Power", and it was talking about the beginning of the persecution from the Roman Emperors -okay, okay, it was Nero and Domitian, to all you history geeks- and after describing some of the torments the Christians went under, it said how the church grew in numbers and in unity, more than ever before.
Lastly, these lyrics came to mind I was looking over this song just now: 

" And the wicked roam the cities and the streets tonight
But when the God of love and thunder speaks tonight
Oh, I believe You will come
Your justice be done, but how long?

How long? How long?
How long until this curtain is lifted?
How long is this the song that we sing?
How long until the reckoning?"

Love,
           Caro :)