Streams of Mercy Never Ceasing (+ a recipe)

The Week in Pictures, and in Mercies from Jesus...

Baby CJ at two months. It's LC who is making her smile like that. I never mentioned here that the "C" in CJ and in LC are the same. CJ is named after her sister.

397 this week was like living in a hotel room...cozy messy crowded

398 BB making baked spaghetti - BB-the-grandma's recipe, yum! He doubled it, so we had supper from that for two nights

399 Dr. Husband/Mr. Mom - he's taken such good care of me, of us...guarding my knee (there are lots of happy, rambunctious people in our house), monitoring my pain meds, bringing me the baby...getting up with baby at her usual 5am-ish awakening

400 extra time to read with the children, especially LC and CA

401 little pain

402 warm cuddly two month old...every day we have with her is a gift

 She's a very affable gal

403 BB not having to go the grocery store this week - amazing!

404 pain medication - I was so nervous about having some kind of severe, sudden pain in my knee and it hasn't been like that

405 anesthesia

406 kids who play so well together

407 kids who self-entertain

408 someone to watch all 5 on surgery day (THANK YOU, MRS. M!)

 My view this week. Though I've had little post-op pain, the huge bandage has made me more immobile than we expected! Yesterday, it was finally time to take them off and and put on a fresh, smaller bandage and wrap, hooray! Oh, you people who have had to have casts on your legs, I feel for you!

409 extra help here the day after surgery (thank you to E and her son J!)

410 school was easy and simple on Wednesday...maybe we should always do it from my bed

411 prayers of the saints, my listening God

412 death of a saint this week, and knowing she's with Jesus

413 that I could have my knee fixed

414 the two Oreos BB hid under my napkin when he brought me lunch in my bed the other day

415 the heart that thought to hide the Oreos...oh, I love that heart

416 waiting, not fully understanding, learning again: faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1)

417 first shower after surgery

 CJ and LC: they are so alike! And both so very pretty...

418 our pastor calling a fast on behalf of struggling marriages

419 being reminded of the tender places in my most stoic child

420 golden morning - watched the sun rise over the housetops in our neighborhood this morning, and shine yellow on my bedroom wall

421 baby feet kicking so I can see them above the edge of the bassinette

422 that baby sleeps through the night. every night. unbelievable. (we've had only one other do such a thing so young, and that was 10 years ago almost)

423 an unusually quiet morning for BB and me today...almost vacation-like...the big girls occupied, us in bed with breakfast and coffee and a contented little baby

This is actually what will be CJ's room. It's been a guest room since right before she was born and for now she is still in our room. Soon enough, we'll take down the big bed and set the crib back up. We had to move our school day to this room yesterday, since BB had conference calls and interviews to conduct by phone in our bedroom.

You can imagine what I meant by "cozy." This doesn't really capture the "messy" part of it all, though. The kids kind of rotated throughout the day - one would sit with me for English, then another for devotions, then a someone else for math corrections. I really did enjoy the me-sitting-still part of this week and the way it gave me extra time just being next to them...and even the crowded craziness of all being in one room the entire week.

*

LC's Mud

aka Chocolate Pudding 

from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

1. In a heavy medium saucepan, stir together 3/4 cups sugar, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons cornstarch OR 1/4 cup flour. Stir in 2 and 2/3 cups milk. Cook and stir over medium heat till bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Gradually stir 1 cup of the milk mixture into 4 beaten egg yolks.

2. Add egg mixture to milk mixture in saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil; Reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Pour pudding into a bowl; cover with plastic wrap; chill.