Category: family

Angel on a Pink Schwinn

Diana B.Leave a comment

One of my favorite songs is “Sweet Summer” by Diamond Rio. It takes me back to summer time when I was a kid, spending endless hours biking up and down our street with my brother and the neighborhood boys. I remember the smell of freshly cut grass, the aroma of hamburgers sizzling on the charcoal grill, and just the genuine freedom you feel on a lazy summer day. Here are the lyrics.

Sweet Summer by Diamond Rio

He had a freezer full of otter pops
Push ups, drum sticks and dreamsicles
And a paint chipped change box
Full of sticky quarters, dimes and nickles
It was automatic when we heard that song
Run home and get your money before he’s gone

Lookin’ underneath the Chrysler, in the driveway
Hey, dad whatchya doin’
The smell of summer twilight
There was always somebody barbeque’n
Truth or dare with the kids on our road
Hide and seek, till your mama called you home

Sweet summer, yeah I remember that
Sweet summer, let me take you back

Both our moms were best friends
she was the youngest of three daughters
An angel on a pink Schwinn, my first crush
‘Til this day, I aint forgot her.
Those days were never too long
And never too hot
And even though I was out of school
I was learnin’ a lot

Sweet summer, yeah I remember that
Sweet summer, let me take you back

There’s not a day that I don’t remember
From the end of May to the first of September

Whiter than Snow

Diana B.Leave a comment

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Except for a few small patches, nearly all of the snow that had been covering our lawn since Dec. 1, 2007, melted earlier this week. We all rejoiced to be finally rid of that old snow; it had turned ugly and gray over the last three months. 

On Wednesday Linnea was able to ride her bicycle and play outside all afternoon. Laurel blew bubbles and scooted around on her trike. Neighbors we hadn’t seen in months came up the street to chat. The hope of spring that had sustained us through this long, bitter winter was finally becoming a reality!

But today it’s a different story. It’s Good Friday and the first full day of spring according to the calendar. But just like Jesus’ disciples felt on Good Friday, we’re feeling confused and discouraged. It’s snowing. Actually, it’s blizzarding. We must have nearly six inches of fluffy white stuff out there right now, and it’s still piling up! We’ve lost a little hope. 

So what does snow have to do with Good Friday? After David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan came to him and encouraged him to repent of his sins. David wrote Psalm 51, and in verse 7 he says to God, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

Likewise, Isaiah 1:18 says “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”

All week I’ve been reminding Linnea and Laurel that Easter isn’t about brightly colored eggs or tasty chocolate bunnies. It’s about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. It’s about Jesus paying the blood sacrifice so that we, like David, can be made whiter than snow.

So even in the midst of a March blizzard, we still have hope. We have hope that spring will arrive and the rain will wash away our snow. The grass will reappear and turn green. The birds will return. The trees will bud and the flowers will bloom.

Though our hope for spring may come and go, our hope in Jesus will continue. He cleanses us and gives us a fresh new beginning. He will not disappoint us. He is risen indeed!

‘Tis the Season to Share the Joys of Christmas!

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A close friend of mine e-mailed me this fun little Christmas survey, and I thought I’d share my answers here, too.
      

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I use wrapping paper if the gift is rectangular or somehow boxed or being mailed. I use gift bags, too.

2. Real tree or artificial? Now that we have kids, it must be real! And certain body parts should become partially numb in the pursuit of selecting the perfect tree on the farm and cutting it down!

3. When do you put up the tree? the weekend following Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? shortly after Christmas when it becomes more of a fire hazard

5. Do you like eggnog? No! Give me hot chocolate instead!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? my “Mandy” doll because she came with a doll bed and lots of doll clothes that my mother made for her

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes – we have a Fontanini set that my aunt began for us about 10 years ago, and she still adds to it. The figures go in a stable that Michael and I built together several years ago. Also, this year I bought the Fischer Price Little People nativity set for my daughters. They love playing with it! It is fun to watch them bring all sorts of other little toys (cars, dolls, etc.) to “go see baby Jesus!”

8. Hardest person to buy for? It’s a different person every year.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Linnea – there’s so much girly stuff out there for her age, and she loves it all!

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? concrete blocks wrapped up to look like a big, heavy gift (I think there was a check in the attached envelope, but it was still disappointing to unwrap!)

11. Mail or email Christmas card? mail it!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? “It’s a Wonderful Life”

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? in the summer or while on vacation; I always try to do the bulk of my Christmas shopping BEFORE Thanksgiving because we end up mailing many gifts out of state

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? sure

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? home-made cinnamon rolls, fudge, chocolate desserts, hot rolls, ham, cranberry sauce, Chex mix, sugar cookies

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? red or clear but NOT multi-colored

17. Favorite Christmas song? I have two favorites: “The Holly and the Ivy” and “O’ Come, O’ Come, Emmanuel.”

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? stay home out of the snow or go to my aunt’s house nearby

19. Can you name Santa’s reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph

20. Do you have an Angel on top or a star? a star on top but lots of angels elsewhere

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? morning, except maybe one gift Christmas Eve

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? greedy people and people who are uptight about calling it “Christmas”

23. Did you believe in Santa when you were little? I did. But it was always a little creepy thinking about some strange guy coming to our house in the middle of the night. We don’t “do” Santa at our house now because it’s confusing and distracting, especially with a December birthday girl in our family!

24. White Christmas or no snow? White Christmas, of course! Those of us who live in Minnesota deserve a white Christmas for all the cold and snow we deal with in fall/winter/spring!

25. What is your Christmas wish for this year? May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Interview with a 2-year-old

Diana B.1 Comment

Laurel turned 2 a week ago. Here’s a little profile on her.

What book are you reciting? “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” by Eric Carle

What are your favorite books? “Noah Book” (aka the Bible) and “The Mitten” by Jan Bret (my great-grandma knits, too)

What is your favorite Bible story? “No-No Fruit” (Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden)

What is your favorite movie? the Laurie Bernker Band’s music DVD

What is your favorite food? macaroni and cheese with apple juice

What is your favorite part of mealtime? I like to pray. Sometimes I make my family pray three or four times during dinner!

 What is your favorite animal? I really like birds, especially ducks, penguins, owls and chickens.

What is your favorite thing to say? “Oooh! Cute!” (I pronounce it “tute.”) I also tell my sister, “No. I busy!” when she gets too bossy.

What are your hobbies? playing with play dough, reading with my mom and sister, looking at my baby pictures, talking on the phone

What do you do in your spare time? I pretend to go get the mail (that’s why I got a mailbox for my birthday), or I sing, dance and talk, talk, talk.

What songs do you sing? “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” “Alphabet Song,” and “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” and several others

How high can you count? up to 12, sometimes 16

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? to Minnehaha Park to ride bikes, see the waterfall, and see Aunt Lilac

What makes you laugh? Papa Duck, Uncle Michael, my sister when she makes really funny faces