Posted by Tricia at 11:09 pm
Since we last blogged, more than a full month ago, we’ve made three trips to Austin, finished school, started summer Latin, planted a garden, enjoyed a week of VBS, attended a family baptism, logged over 115 hours in our library’s summer reading program, and been swimming countless times. We’ve also each probably sweated off the equivalent of half our weight in water because summer is officially here in Texas, and it’s HOT!
Over a month ago, Jay and I began the process of clearing out about 25 feet of very tall, VERY established Nandina bushes on the side of our house, in hopes of preparing a good spot for a little garden. While I have for most intents and purposes a very black thumb when it comes to gardening, I have had modest success with herbs in pots, and this year I had hopes of getting my herb seeds/plants directly into the ground, and maybe adding a few tomato plants to the plot as well.
Here is the side of the house that needed to be cleared before soil prep, let alone planting could take place - these shrubs stand about 6 1/2 feet tall and reach 4 feet wide:
You didn’t think I was going to take on these bushes all by myself, did you?? For this job, I brought in the big guy!! Here stands Jay, armed with chain-saw, and ready to do some damage!
Halfway done with the chopping part:
Done cutting the bushes down, now all he has to do is wrestle the stubborn roots from the soil
Here is Jay, working blisters onto his fingers, as he wages war on the extremely established root systems of these babies.
This is a close-up of what we (and yes, I use that term quite loosely) were dealing with. There was even more to these roots once we got underneath the soil, and tackled the support for what had been very large bushes.
It took him literally days….but at last the soil was cleared and ready for tilling. So, here is Jay working the tiller we borrowed from friends to turn over the rocky, but not-so-root-filled-anymore soil.
After the tilling was complete, we spent a small sum of money on some good quality dirt/compost from a local company, and borrowed aforementioned friends’ nice green truck to haul it home in. While I have no picture of all the excitement, here is the aftermath of a morning spent lugging dirt in , sadly getting truck STUCK in mucky mud, and then tearing up part of the lawn in the attempts to rescue the stuck truck that was covered in muck. The dark mud line at the bottom of the photo shows where the left rear tire was. Ugh, what a mess!
We got that all cleaned up, sent the truck home to our friends who just might have had a bit of a chuckle over Jay’s morning spent in the mucky-muck (yes, shoutout to Tenacious D), and told the children we could finally plant seeds in our garden! At last!! I think they’d lost any hope we’d ever finish this monumental task - in fact Nicolas went and stuck his pumpkin plant way on the other side of the yard in a bed that was nice and ready for plants…see how well it is growing??
Well, finally: here are the very cute children hard at work, finishing soil prep, including stirring in fertilizer. And putting some plants and many little seeds into the ground.
Here is our finished plot after I don’t know how many hours of hard labor and gallons of sweat.
Here is the pretty little raised bed that Jay built: at only 4′ x 8′, it doesn’t hold a ton of veggies, but we managed to fit the tomatoes and herbs as we’d hoped, plus there is a nice row of lettuce seeds underneath the soil at the very front of the bed.
Given how much more room we have to expand, we hope to be able to add a bit to our plot each year, Lord willing. Despite not having another raised bed, the children and I went ahead and planted seeds which some generous friends gifted us with: cucumber, the lettuce, cantaloupe, honeydew, zucchini, squash, and beans.
May you grow happily, little garden and produce much produce!!
Posted by Tricia at 10:37 pm
or at least designed. from start to finish.
Jonathan was a bit put out after the last cake went to celebrate someone else’s birthday, and he didn’t get one. teeny. tiny. taste.
I told him this week’s cake was to be specially made with the children in mind. So he requested lemon. And because Abigail is not a huge fan of the frosting (no, James she is not related to you or me!) I made lemon pudding to fill the center with. It was really easy, really yummy, and kept the cake very moist.
I kept my word to both Moms!! and made a buttercream icing with real butter this week. And of course, with some lemon juice and lemon zest, because we are after all talking about the lemony-est cake ever made in Texas! Josiah thought the frosting was very tasty, and after locating his sister’s bath towel, laid down to enjoy licking the beater clean
At class this week we practiced many things: flowers, shell borders, ROSES, oh yes, and clowns. I failed the clowns part (just ask Sandra), so none of those appear on my cake. Plus, I think my children are all afraid of them!
After I’d practiced in class, I brought my cake home still blank except for its lemon icing. The children and I stood around the peninsula in the kitchen while the four kids picked out frosting colors, watched me mix them, and then requested what types of flowers I make with each color (Josiah said we must have blue flowers!). They were amazingly cute and sweet about my very novice decorations. When I plopped the first rose down on top of the cake they all whooped and shouted and insisted it was really, really awesome!!!
Well, I’d say my little designers did well….I think the final creation is quite stunning:
Here is most of my design team:
One last pic of this colorful cake:
Posted by Tricia at 9:05 am
Thank you, faithful readers, for your patience with us as we bring you semi-weekly installments of the progress on the little office Jay is slowly creating in the corner of our bedroom. Our first Horne Improvement episode of this particular series can be read here. And last week I shared the second episode with you. Admittedly, this office remodel does seem to be dragging on.
Yesterday I decided that we’d waited long enough for the whole thing to get finished, so we brought in some professionals.
Pretty cool gig for them in these economic times especially!! That short one doesn’t even feel the need to spring for work clothes, apparently!
I’m here to vouch for the fact that expertise in painting directly correlates with the amount of clothing worn. In other words, if your painter shows up half naked, you’d be well advised to find yourself another guy for the job!
Well, after painting over the not so attractive streaks created by the littlest member of the crew, I think the wall is looking pretty great!
It’s ready for the carpenter to go to work and build the desk!
Posted by Tricia at 10:37 pm
For my 27th birthday this year, my sister and brother-in-law gave me a free ride to a Wilton Cake Decorating Class. Which was really swell of them, considering I’ve always longed to be able to make the cakes which I bake for family birthdays look more appealing than they usually do! Of course, Sandra wasn’t going to send me on to class without a buddy, so all through the month of May, we have the fun of “going to school” together! Which is sorta neat b/c she was five years behind me in regular school, so we didn’t often run in the same circles. Or even really in the same schools, come to think of it.
This week we brought home our first cakes. Certain of us in the class worked SO long on smoothing our icing that we were stuck with “homework” to finish the decorations!! I don’t have pics of Sandra’s cake, but it was really pretty. I was especially impressed with her creative use of color.
Here is my little creation (note: the pink appears a tad bit more florescent than it actually was in real life!). The cake is pink and brown, not black.
I don’t have photos of the insides, because we used it to help a friend celebrate her birthday, and then sent it on home with her. But I can vouch for the fact that it was tasty!! It is a Hershey’s Chocolate Cake Recipe, and I brushed the layers with Bailey’s Irish Cream, and filled the middle with Chocolate Buttercream (real buttercream, not that Crisco stuff we had to use for the icing this first week).
Those in the know inform me that using shortening in your icing helps achieve a smooth finish, and makes the stuff easier to pipe and work with. Maybe so, but I still don’t love the taste, never mind that it grosses me out just a little to think about eating spoonful after spoonful of shortening piped atop my dessert!! I did put some actual cocoa powder in the icing I used for the brown centers of the flowers, etc. Gave it a fun little kick!!
This next week I hope to frost the cake in buttercream made with real butter, and use the Crisco recipe for the decorative parts only. We’ll see how that works out.
Of course, they tell me we’ll be learning how to make clowns next week…when my kids heard this, the six-year-old asked, “Hey Mom, couldn’t you maybe make a Darth Vader and a Luke Skywalker instead? And you could have them fighting with light sabers on top of the cake. Now THAT would be cool!”
Yes, my boy, that would be cool. Very cool. And a heck of a lot less scary than those freaky-looking little clowns!
Posted by Tricia at 6:59 pm
Anyone else remember that song from the Brady Bunch way back when?? Loved those singin’ Brady Kids!
Almost a year ago and Abigail and I talked about the possibility of participating in the Locks of Love program. If you’ve not heard of it you can read about it here. Basically, it is a non-profit organization that exists for the sole purpose of helping disadvantaged children who have permanent hair loss due to medical issues. The organization makes beautiful wigs from hair that is donated by individuals all over the US and Canada. Prostheses of this nature are expensive to purchase, but Locks of Love makes it possible for children who would not normally be able to afford them to enjoy the sense of “normalcy” that comes with having hair again.
Which makes me consider: how many times have I complained about my hair for whatever reason? The idea of not having any is shocking, but many of us, if asked could probably list off several things about our hair that bugs us.
Well, one thing the women in the Horne household are blessed with is LOTS of hair!! And thinking about all those children who don’t have any at all made Abigail and I want to help, so after a few months of growing our hair out to longer than we’d normally wear it, we called a local salon and made appointments to each take off a long ponytail for donating to LOL. We knew we’d each be losing 10-11 inches of hair so yes, we were a little nervous about the whole thing, but also very excited!!
Awhile back, we took some before shots to chronicle this momentous event:
Well…..today was the day!! You gotta have the shot with her holding up her 11 inch ponytails!!
Abigail was kind enough to take a shot of me preparing to lose about ten pounds, er inches of hair:
And then another:
She really had fun with the camera!! Here she is getting her “shampoo”:
The salon we used made it easy to send our donated ponytails in to Locks of Love: they provided the paperwork, and packaged and mailed everything in for us.
And….when we were all finished….
Isn’t she cute with her new ‘do??
WOW!! I cannot remember when i have EVER had my hair this short!
Note: if you are in the Dallas area, and interested in participating in Locks of Love, the Artistik Edge Salon in Lake Highlands partners with this organization, and will cut and style your hair free of charge if you are a donator. I am happy to tell you their services are not only free, but excellent!! Both Abigail and I received beautiful cuts from a lovely young lady today.
More importantly, it makes us really happy to think about a child somewhere, someday in the not-too-distant future getting their new hair, and knowing we got to have a little part in making that happen for them.
Posted by Tricia at 8:03 pm
It’s been a busy couple weeks since we last posted about Jay’s little “Horne” Improvement project. There has been about a week of various illnesses scattered through most of the members of the family. We’ve finished up two soccer seasons with the middle boys, begun baseball season with the Kindergartener, and have continued with volleyball for Abigail. We planned for and executed on a sweet garage sale, which not only reaped financial reward, but also the benefit of some major clean out and organization in much-needed areas of the home. Yay! We have even babysat a couple of chickens (yes, CHICKENS!) for some sweet friends who were out of town on a long weekend.
And yet, despite the busy schedule that the end of the year brings with it, I think it likely Jay might be finished adding his little home office were it not for the added excitement yours truly has brought to the household. Last week I took ill with a weird virus whose main symptom was severe vertigo/nausea anytime I was vertical. It got bad enough that a trip to the doctor seemed warranted. Before I made it to the doctor’s office, I caught my left pinky toe on the living room ottoman and broke the poor little booger again. After looking me over, the doctor gave a diagnosis of Vestibular Neuritis/Labyrinthitis and also confirmed that aforementioned pinkie toe was snapped clean through.
Anyway, my being laid-up with dizziness and broken toes has necessitated that Jay kick it into even higher gear than he usually runs at. So, there’s been no time left for making his office area pretty…till the past couple days. He’s made wonderful progress, and finished what is arguably the hardest part of the whole job. While I missed getting shots of the mudded walls, I did enjoy watching and photographing the process of his learning to texture. And then him learning to texture some more. And some more.
It turns out texturing is not an easy task, especially when it is your goal to match pre-existing texture already on the wall which you are updating. In praise of his work, I will say that Jay did finally achieve what I think will be a really great match once the wall is painted to match the rest of the room. Here’s the area, all prepped for painting.
Of course, he’s asked me (Dizzy, Broken-Toed Girl) if I wouldn’t mind doing the painting part. Not at all Jay, anything for you. But here’s hoping I don’t find myself in the middle of a dizzy spell while waving a wet paint brush around our bedroom. I wouldn’t want to spill any of that sticky paint on my pretty boot, ya’ know.
Posted by Jay at 5:16 pm
How many times have I read Philippians 4:6-7 [show]<div class="esv"><h2>Philippians 4:6-7 <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F50004006-50004007" width="40" height="12" class="audio"><param name="movie" value="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F50004006-50004007" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></h2>
<div class="esv-text"><p id="p50004006.01-1"><span class="verse-num" id="v50004006-1">6 </span>do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. <span class="verse-num" id="v50004007-1">7 </span>And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p>
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? Hundreds? Certainly. Thousands? Maybe. Yet a few weeks ago in our Sunday liturgy, we said those verses as a congregation, and I heard something entirely new.
Wind back to November of last year. It had been a terrific few months at Viewzi. However, we hit the wall on our fundraising with the downturn in October, and by November payroll was, well, not. We all kept working at it, and the company has continued to have some success by shifting focus to more immediate, revenue-driving projects. However, the new approach really wasn’t a fit for my contribution. I’ve continued to office with the guys and collaborate on some opportunities, but by the time I heard the Philippians passage that Sunday in late March, I had been over 4 months without a paycheck.
February was the low point for me. Interestingly, our church’s service also played a key role then as well. We sang that wonderful rendition of Psalm 130 [show]<div class="esv"><h2>Psalm 130 <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F19130001-19130008" width="40" height="12" class="audio"><param name="movie" value="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F19130001-19130008" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></h2>
<div class="esv-text"><h3 id="p19130001.01-1">My Soul Waits for the Lord</h3>
<h4 class="psalm-title" id="p19130001.07-1">A Song of Ascents.</h4>
<div class="block-indent">
<p class="line-group" id="p19130001.11-1"><span class="chapter-num" id="v19130001-1">130:1 </span>Out of the depths I cry to you, O <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>!<br />
<span class="indent"></span><span class="verse-num" id="v19130002-1">2 </span>O Lord, hear my voice!<br />
Let your ears be attentive<br />
<span class="indent"></span>to the voice of my pleas for mercy!</p>
<p class="line-group" id="p19130003.01-1"><span class="verse-num" id="v19130003-1">3 </span>If you, O <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>, should mark iniquities,<br />
<span class="indent"></span>O Lord, who could stand?<br />
<span class="verse-num" id="v19130004-1">4 </span>But with you there is forgiveness,<br />
<span class="indent"></span>that you may be feared.</p>
<p class="line-group" id="p19130005.01-1"><span class="verse-num" id="v19130005-1">5 </span>I wait for the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>, my soul waits,<br />
<span class="indent"></span>and in his word I hope;<br />
<span class="verse-num" id="v19130006-1">6 </span>my soul waits for the Lord<br />
<span class="indent"></span>more than watchmen for the morning,<br />
<span class="indent"></span>more than watchmen for the morning.</p>
<p class="line-group" id="p19130007.01-1"><span class="verse-num" id="v19130007-1">7 </span>O Israel, hope in the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>!<br />
<span class="indent"></span>For with the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> there is steadfast love,<br />
<span class="indent"></span>and with him is plentiful redemption.<br />
<span class="verse-num" id="v19130008-1">8 </span>And he will redeem Israel<br />
<span class="indent"></span>from all his iniquities. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p>
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, and I sang it quietly to myself each day for weeks as I learned to patiently wait on the Lord. Now in March I was doing pretty well in terms of my outlook. I’d even started a couple ventures that were starting to generate revenue. And we said Philippians 4:6-7 [show]<div class="esv"><h2>Philippians 4:6-7 <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F50004006-50004007" width="40" height="12" class="audio"><param name="movie" value="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F50004006-50004007" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></h2>
<div class="esv-text"><p id="p50004006.01-1"><span class="verse-num" id="v50004006-1">6 </span>do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. <span class="verse-num" id="v50004007-1">7 </span>And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p>
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in the liturgy, and it was like I heard it for the first time.
What had I always heard before? That God’s peace goes beyond anything we can make sense of. We experience his peace in circumstances that should not lead to peace. And I think this is exactly what the verses state, yet I’m now convinced there is even more.
What causes worry? When do we wallow in worry instead of experiencing peace? I’d suggest the Bible’s admonitions exactly match our experience. In Matthew 6 [show]<div class="esv"><h2>Matthew 6 <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F40006001-40006034" width="40" height="12" class="audio"><param name="movie" value="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F40006001-40006034" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></h2>
<div class="esv-text"><h3 id="p40006001.01-1">Giving to the Needy</h3>
<p id="p40006001.05-1"><span class="chapter-num" id="v40006001-1">6:1 </span><span class="woc">“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.</span></p>
<p class="chapter-first" id="p40006002.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006002-1">2 </span><span class="woc">“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006003-1">3 </span><span class="woc">But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006004-1">4 </span><span class="woc">so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.</span></p>
<h3 id="p40006005.01-1">The Lord's Prayer</h3>
<p id="p40006005.04-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006005-1">5 </span><span class="woc">“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006006-1">6 </span><span class="woc">But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.</span></p>
<p id="p40006007.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006007-1">7 </span><span class="woc">“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006008-1">8 </span><span class="woc">Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006009-1">9 </span><span class="woc">Pray then like this:</span></p>
<div class="block-indent">
<p class="line-group" id="p40006009.05-1"><span class="woc">“Our Father in heaven,<br />
hallowed be your name.<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f1" id="b1" title="Or 'Let your name be kept holy', or 'Let your name be treated with reverence'">[1]</a></span></span><br />
<span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006010-1">10 </span><span class="woc">Your kingdom come,<br />
your will be done,<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f2" id="b2" title="Or 'Let your kingdom come, let your will be done'">[2]</a></span><br />
<span class="indent"></span>on earth as it is in heaven.</span><br />
<span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006011-1">11 </span><span class="woc">Give us this day our daily bread,<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f3" id="b3" title="Or 'our bread for tomorrow'">[3]</a></span></span><br />
<span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006012-1">12 </span><span class="woc">and forgive us our debts,<br />
<span class="indent"></span>as we also have forgiven our debtors.</span><br />
<span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006013-1">13 </span><span class="woc">And lead us not into temptation,<br />
<span class="indent"></span>but deliver us from evil.<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f4" id="b4" title="Or 'the evil one'; some manuscripts add 'For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen'">[4]</a></span></span></p>
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<p class="same-paragraph" id="p40006014.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006014-1">14 </span><span class="woc">For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006015-1">15 </span><span class="woc">but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.</span></p>
<h3 id="p40006016.01-1">Fasting</h3>
<p id="p40006016.02-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006016-1">16 </span><span class="woc">“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006017-1">17 </span><span class="woc">But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006018-1">18 </span><span class="woc">that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.</span></p>
<h3 id="p40006019.01-1">Lay Up Treasures in Heaven</h3>
<p id="p40006019.06-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006019-1">19 </span><span class="woc">“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f5" id="b5" title="Or 'worm'; also verse 20">[5]</a></span> destroy and where thieves break in and steal,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006020-1">20 </span><span class="woc">but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006021-1">21 </span><span class="woc">For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.</span></p>
<p id="p40006022.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006022-1">22 </span><span class="woc">“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006023-1">23 </span><span class="woc">but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!</span></p>
<p id="p40006024.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006024-1">24 </span><span class="woc">“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f6" id="b6" title="Greek 'mammon', a Semitic word for money or possessions">[6]</a></span></span></p>
<h3 id="p40006025.01-1">Do Not Be Anxious</h3>
<p id="p40006025.05-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006025-1">25 </span><span class="woc">“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006026-1">26 </span><span class="woc">Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006027-1">27 </span><span class="woc">And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f7" id="b7" title="Or 'a single cubit to his stature'; a 'cubit' was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters">[7]</a></span></span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006028-1">28 </span><span class="woc">And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006029-1">29 </span><span class="woc">yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006030-1">30 </span><span class="woc">But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006031-1">31 </span><span class="woc">Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006032-1">32 </span><span class="woc">For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006033-1">33 </span><span class="woc">But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.</span></p>
<p id="p40006034.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006034-1">34 </span><span class="woc">“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.</span> (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p>
</div>
<div class="footnotes">
<h3>Footnotes</h3>
<p><span class="footnote"><a href="#b1" id="f1">[1]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:9</span> Or <em>Let your name be kept holy</em>, or <em>Let your name be treated with reverence</em>
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b2" id="f2">[2]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:10</span> Or <em>Let your kingdom come, let your will be done</em>
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b3" id="f3">[3]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:11</span> Or <em>our bread for tomorrow</em>
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b4" id="f4">[4]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:13</span> Or <em>the evil one</em>; some manuscripts add <em>For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen</em>
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b5" id="f5">[5]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:19</span> Or <em>worm</em>; also verse 20
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b6" id="f6">[6]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:24</span> Greek <em>mammon</em>, a Semitic word for money or possessions
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b7" id="f7">[7]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:27</span> Or <em>a single cubit to his stature</em>; a <em>cubit</em> was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
</p>
</div>
</div>
, Jesus asks us if we can add one moment to our life by worrying. We are told not to worry for food, clothing, or shelter, that God knows our needs. That we should think about today, and not fret about tomorrow.
There it is. We worry about the future. And Tricia and I, as we went months without income, worried. Tricia summed it up so well one evening when she told me, “If you told me we’d be in this situation for another 6 months, and then it would end, I’d be okay.” The situation wasn’t the only stress, it was our fears for the unknown future that were killing us. Not knowing was at the heart of the worry.
We worry because we do not know the future. We may mourn for what we do know or experience, we may experience real hardship, but we worry because of what we do not know. As we read Philippians 4:6-7 [show]<div class="esv"><h2>Philippians 4:6-7 <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F50004006-50004007" width="40" height="12" class="audio"><param name="movie" value="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F50004006-50004007" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></h2>
<div class="esv-text"><p id="p50004006.01-1"><span class="verse-num" id="v50004006-1">6 </span>do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. <span class="verse-num" id="v50004007-1">7 </span>And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p>
</div>
</div>
in church, I suddenly heard it this way, “and the peace of God, which is of more value than knowing”. We don’t know the future. But God does. And his peace, which he brings us, is of far more value than us knowing, even knowing the future.
What is the antidote to our worries? From this point of view, Philippians 4:6-7 [show]<div class="esv"><h2>Philippians 4:6-7 <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F50004006-50004007" width="40" height="12" class="audio"><param name="movie" value="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F50004006-50004007" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></h2>
<div class="esv-text"><p id="p50004006.01-1"><span class="verse-num" id="v50004006-1">6 </span>do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. <span class="verse-num" id="v50004007-1">7 </span>And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p>
</div>
</div>
and Matthew 6 [show]<div class="esv"><h2>Matthew 6 <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F40006001-40006034" width="40" height="12" class="audio"><param name="movie" value="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F40006001-40006034" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></h2>
<div class="esv-text"><h3 id="p40006001.01-1">Giving to the Needy</h3>
<p id="p40006001.05-1"><span class="chapter-num" id="v40006001-1">6:1 </span><span class="woc">“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.</span></p>
<p class="chapter-first" id="p40006002.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006002-1">2 </span><span class="woc">“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006003-1">3 </span><span class="woc">But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006004-1">4 </span><span class="woc">so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.</span></p>
<h3 id="p40006005.01-1">The Lord's Prayer</h3>
<p id="p40006005.04-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006005-1">5 </span><span class="woc">“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006006-1">6 </span><span class="woc">But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.</span></p>
<p id="p40006007.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006007-1">7 </span><span class="woc">“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006008-1">8 </span><span class="woc">Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006009-1">9 </span><span class="woc">Pray then like this:</span></p>
<div class="block-indent">
<p class="line-group" id="p40006009.05-1"><span class="woc">“Our Father in heaven,<br />
hallowed be your name.<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f1" id="b1" title="Or 'Let your name be kept holy', or 'Let your name be treated with reverence'">[1]</a></span></span><br />
<span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006010-1">10 </span><span class="woc">Your kingdom come,<br />
your will be done,<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f2" id="b2" title="Or 'Let your kingdom come, let your will be done'">[2]</a></span><br />
<span class="indent"></span>on earth as it is in heaven.</span><br />
<span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006011-1">11 </span><span class="woc">Give us this day our daily bread,<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f3" id="b3" title="Or 'our bread for tomorrow'">[3]</a></span></span><br />
<span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006012-1">12 </span><span class="woc">and forgive us our debts,<br />
<span class="indent"></span>as we also have forgiven our debtors.</span><br />
<span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006013-1">13 </span><span class="woc">And lead us not into temptation,<br />
<span class="indent"></span>but deliver us from evil.<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f4" id="b4" title="Or 'the evil one'; some manuscripts add 'For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen'">[4]</a></span></span></p>
</div>
<p class="same-paragraph" id="p40006014.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006014-1">14 </span><span class="woc">For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006015-1">15 </span><span class="woc">but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.</span></p>
<h3 id="p40006016.01-1">Fasting</h3>
<p id="p40006016.02-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006016-1">16 </span><span class="woc">“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006017-1">17 </span><span class="woc">But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006018-1">18 </span><span class="woc">that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.</span></p>
<h3 id="p40006019.01-1">Lay Up Treasures in Heaven</h3>
<p id="p40006019.06-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006019-1">19 </span><span class="woc">“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f5" id="b5" title="Or 'worm'; also verse 20">[5]</a></span> destroy and where thieves break in and steal,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006020-1">20 </span><span class="woc">but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006021-1">21 </span><span class="woc">For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.</span></p>
<p id="p40006022.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006022-1">22 </span><span class="woc">“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006023-1">23 </span><span class="woc">but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!</span></p>
<p id="p40006024.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006024-1">24 </span><span class="woc">“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f6" id="b6" title="Greek 'mammon', a Semitic word for money or possessions">[6]</a></span></span></p>
<h3 id="p40006025.01-1">Do Not Be Anxious</h3>
<p id="p40006025.05-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006025-1">25 </span><span class="woc">“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006026-1">26 </span><span class="woc">Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006027-1">27 </span><span class="woc">And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?<span class="footnote"> <a href="#f7" id="b7" title="Or 'a single cubit to his stature'; a 'cubit' was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters">[7]</a></span></span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006028-1">28 </span><span class="woc">And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006029-1">29 </span><span class="woc">yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006030-1">30 </span><span class="woc">But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006031-1">31 </span><span class="woc">Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006032-1">32 </span><span class="woc">For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.</span> <span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006033-1">33 </span><span class="woc">But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.</span></p>
<p id="p40006034.01-1"><span class="verse-num woc" id="v40006034-1">34 </span><span class="woc">“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.</span> (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p>
</div>
<div class="footnotes">
<h3>Footnotes</h3>
<p><span class="footnote"><a href="#b1" id="f1">[1]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:9</span> Or <em>Let your name be kept holy</em>, or <em>Let your name be treated with reverence</em>
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b2" id="f2">[2]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:10</span> Or <em>Let your kingdom come, let your will be done</em>
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b3" id="f3">[3]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:11</span> Or <em>our bread for tomorrow</em>
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b4" id="f4">[4]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:13</span> Or <em>the evil one</em>; some manuscripts add <em>For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen</em>
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b5" id="f5">[5]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:19</span> Or <em>worm</em>; also verse 20
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b6" id="f6">[6]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:24</span> Greek <em>mammon</em>, a Semitic word for money or possessions
<br />
<span class="footnote"><a href="#b7" id="f7">[7]</a></span> <span class="footnote-ref">6:27</span> Or <em>a single cubit to his stature</em>; a <em>cubit</em> was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
</p>
</div>
</div>
offer similar answers. We need to know that God knows our needs, and then we need to seek first his kingdom. And we need to believe that God’s care, God’s knowing, is far better than our knowing.
Posted by Tricia at 9:00 pm
Last week, Jay suggested to me that he’d really like to have a little space of his own somewhere in the house to work, other than this:
It seems that despite the cute and cuddly company, such a workspace isn’t as conducive to high productivity!
We considered various options around the house, none of which were ideal: use an entire bedroom (but it’d be hard to stuff three boys and all their gear into one of our rooms); find a convenient closet to settle him into (he wasn’t keen on this one); convert a formal area to office space (we are using our front two formals right now to home school). If we had a basement, that might be a neat solution (not only for a home office, but for about a thousand other purposes that immediately spring to mind!); alas, there are no basements in Dallas!!
So…the only viable solution at this time seemed to be the little vanity area (better known under my watch as the “junk-gathering” area) in our master bedroom. It’s a decent-sized if not gigantic space for this purpose (5 by 5 feet), but since it also serves as the walk-through to get to my closet and one of the entrances to our master bath, we’ll be limited in how we set it up.
I have only a very blurry shot of the space, taken the first day we ever visited the house, so it’s pretty rough-looking (read “ugly”!!). But you at least see the area: a little nook off to one corner of our room.
This angle looks directly into the nook, and gives you a view of the closet doors ahead of you, and the bathroom entrance to your right.
Earlier this week, Jay set about gathering supplies and demolishing the built-in vanity that took up a major portion of this area. Since the cabinets appear to have been built into the walls piece by piece, the process of removing them was not simple. Here we are in various stages of demo:
See how happy it makes my husband to tear something apart!
Pulling those stubborn cabinets out resulted in a few gashes in the walls:
Prepping the hole for the new piece of drywall:
Taping up and nailing in new drywall:
Wall mudded and ready for sanding and texture…to be completed another day.
Here is Jay taking a break from his work (and nursing an injury he sustained in the demolition when he took a crow bar to the ribs - self-inflicted but still quite painful.).
Next steps after finishing out the wall texture and repainting are: We’ll need to install a light where there is now a blue hole (very top of the picture) to which electrical has already been pulled. And Jay is planning to custom build a desk: which will likely consist of an appropriately-sized shelf on brackets set at a height to serve as a workspace of sorts. While he’ll be limited by the size of the space, we think he can build something that will give him room to spread out and work in addition to his nifty little Target computer cart (which he’ll keep using in his new set-up).
My hope is that when the project is all done, that the computer cart and desktop might be low profile enough to be gracefully hidden behind a curtain or set of panels which I’d love to mount at the outside of the “office nook”.
If anyone who is reading this has design input, please chime in, and tell us your thoughts. Especially if you have ever put together a little spot like this, yourself. If you have opinions to share on the curtain idea, I’d love to hear those too!!
We’ll hopefully update you soon with progress on our latest little Horne Improvement project!
Posted by Tricia at 6:47 pm
Eating all those birthday cupcakes has motivated me to work out!! Well, not really…the realization about a month ago that swimsuit season is impending was motivation enough. Cupcake consumption just served to seal the deal.
A few weeks back, I began looking around for something new to inspire my efforts to get back into the swing of exercising. Jay will tell you that I have to think long and hard about exercising before I ever just put on my sneakers and go for it!!
Given our budget is pretty lean right now, I turned to my friend the library, and checked out several dvd’s to try at home. After working through most of them, I settled on my favorite of the bunch, a Denise Austin “Kick Your Butt” Fat Burner workout, and have used it a few times now. It’s felt helpful enough that I had to share a personal review with all my patient readers!
First, please do not be turned off by Denise’s lack of clothing as pictured on the cover of the DVD - she wears something entirely different (and more covering!) during the actual workout. This is a great workout (said the “hasn’t exercised in a thousand years” girl) that will challenge you over and over. It is circuit training: cardio bursts interspersed with weights, and consists of seven segments which each include about 4 minutes of high cardio activity immediately followed by a couple minutes of weight training. This goes on and on and on….till you wonder how Denise can still possibly be bouncing up and down, and looking downright happy about it!!
There are three levels of intensity shown for every part of the cardio exercise, and of course you can vary the size hand weights used for more or less resistance. The moves are less “dance-y”, and much more athletic in nature. Most are inspired by kickboxing and basketball moves. Some of you may hate Denise’s upbeat, happy personality, but I find her comments about exactly which muscles you are using during each segment really helpful. Her banter is encouraging, and even funny. “Burn that butter!”
I gotta tell you though, that I do not look as awesome as Denise does while burning butter (or fat, whichever term you prefer). Her hair, neatly styled and worn past her shoulders literally never falls out of place or gets the slightest bit frizzy, and I do not believe the woman even began to break a sweat during the entire 45 minutes of high energy exercise. But Denise has a few advantages I don’t: for one thing, she has a huge workout studio with hard floors and plenty of space to punch, jab, and kick. She has backup “dancers” er, workout buddies, to make her look good. And perhaps most importantly, there are no children or animals sharing her workout space with her.
This morning while I sweated along, I had a toddler on one side of me brushing up on his own little jabs and punches, and a Kindergartener on the other side desperately trying to keep up with the fast-paced shuffling and kicking. The kindergartener also diligently weight-trained right along with Denise and me, using his own tiny set of weights (and asking me in a most polite manner to please move over so he could have enough room to do his workout properly!).
Of most help though was my eager lab, who would not submit to being put out of the room just because her 55 pounds were in the way of my workout. Instead she stayed close by to monitor our progress, and near the end happily licked my face repeatedly during a particularly trying set of tricep dips. I think she, like Denise was cheering on my feeble efforts.
Well, there you go. I’ve never been a huge follower of exercise “videos” but I think a good one can be a nice help in adding variety to a fitness routine. If any of you have re-entered the world of working out after a long hiatus and found things that helped keep you in the game, please feel free to share!! Also, if you have favorite workout dvd’s that you want to share names of, please leave me a comment.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, enough of this exercise talk. I must go stuff my face with some homemade queso and chips!!
Posted by Tricia at 11:55 pm
As I sit here posting these pics, I am eating one of my sister’s amazing homemade Dark Chocolate with Chocolate Chip Cupcakes topped with a Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate Ganache, finished off with a Pouf of Meringue Buttercream. I don’t know quite how I typed all that. In one word though: DELICIOUS!
Easter this year happened to fall on my 27th birthday. If you do the math, you can see Jay and I tied the knot at a pretty young age….
So for 2009, I got the double treat of having all our in-town family join us for not just Easter but also some birthday fun on Sunday. Hence the aforementioned Dark Chocolate Decadence. The day was made ten times sweeter because most everything for our feast was brought to us, not provided by us. We are very grateful for everyone’s kindness and generosity. Thanks to all of you!
So here’s a quick summary of the day:
For something new this year, we attempted to make Easter Tomb Cookies. I say attempted because yours truly sort of missed a critical step early in the process which flubbed up the recipe bigtime. And caused me to actually shed tears…tears!!!! over egg whites that would not whip properly on the eve of my birthday. Silly, I know.
Maybe I was just a little sad over finally turning 27. But I think it was more due to the fact that I felt so frustrated because there was not time enough left in the evening for us to assemble another batch of the cookies before bedtime. So I did what any control freak would do under the circumstances: just as soon as the kids were in bed, I made a second recipe!! My children WOULD be able to open the oven door on Easter morning to properly-made tomb cookies!
Opening the Sealed Oven
After church, we attempted to take some Easter photos. These sessions are always so sanctifying; usually even more so than the wonderful Easter sermon! You get shots where the big sister is trying to no avail to tell her brothers to knock off the foolishness so that they can please go eat lunch sometime today, and preferably before the Easter supper is ready to be served:
Tweedledee and Tweedledum
and others like this where for whatever reason the child thinks jumping up and down and flapping his arms will enhance the clarity of the final shot:
The Quintessential Goofball
and then endless goofiness from the littlest meatball of the bunch (my Pa always used the term “meatball” and I still love it!):
Silly
but if you’re lucky, you might end up with a pretty nice, if not perfect picture of your four beloved children.
Beautiful!!
Remember when they looked like this (Josey’s first Easter, and please note that Abigail is wearing the same dress)?
First Easter with All Four, 2006
She is the easiest one to snap photos of, so I took a few more of her, sweet thing.
Our Abigail
Then mid-afternoon, cousins and aunts and uncles and grammys and grandys, and a sweet friend all arrived!! There was much drinking and feasting and playing, and the traditional egg hunt was held on the grounds. Fierce competitors these ones:
The Egg Hunters
Whose child is that wacky little guy on the end?
I leave you with a nice picture of the great minds (and cooks) behind much of our Easter merrymaking:
Uncle Keith and Aunt Sandra
Thanks to everyone for helping make our Easter 2009 a blessed day of celebration of the best thing that has ever happened to mankind!
Posted by Tricia at 8:14 pm
Once upon a time, a Momma bunny who was rather lacking in discretion, prepared a nest underneath the playfort belonging to the children who live at House of Horne. The location at the base of the playfort was not so much of a problem as was the yard in which the playset resided. For in addition to the children, two dogs spent much time in this yard. One would think the Momma Bunny should have had reviewed a text like “Make Way for Ducklings” before settling on such a dangerous location to raise her babies, but alas…
One fateful day, long after the bunnies were born, and grown to reasonable size, some movement or noise in the general region of their nest garnered the notice of the aforementioned canines. Had the lady of the house, or any of the sweet children who resided therein had any notion as to the carnage that would ensue, they surely would have shepherded these poor sweet rabbits to safety. But sadly, none of the humans who lived here had any idea that the rabbits had taken up residence on the grounds.
On Monday morning, the children’s mother glanced out her back window to see one of the dogs sniffing at something laying on the ground. Fearing it was a mouse (or, far worse: a rat!), the lady panicked, and called the man of the house to come attend to the situation.
It was a sad scene that greeted Papa Horne. One wee little rabbit lay expired, a mere few feet away from his birthplace. A second rabbit, already fatally wounded, was still hopping about, likely intent on escaping the evil clutches of the fierce canines.
The third rabbit miraculously avoided the dogs and cleverly hid himself between the corner fence post and the wood, squeezing his tiny body into the crevice there, ensuring the animals couldn’t reach him. Certainly, he did not anticipate that the tiniest member of the human family would be able to grab him, either. But this chubby-cheeked boy, intent on saving the poor frightened creature, scooped the rabbit up in his own wee hands, and, quite pleased with himself, held it up for his parents to see.
A Boy and a Bunny
Once the adults determined that this third rabbit was unharmed save for certain trauma to his small system, they permitted the children to go about making the little invader comfortable. The children begged to keep the small brown rabbit as a pet (to add to the two dogs, two gerbils, and twenty-something odd fish already living at House of Horne) to no avail, but were promised they might care for it until it got over its shock.
Comforting the Bunny
E Pluribus Unum, as he was christened by the children, took up residence on the back deck, in a container filled with soft bedding, water, and food, set safely up high, away from the reaches of the murderous canines. For two days the bunny rested and recovered from his frightful experience, delighting the children by devouring the baby carrots they fed him.
Resting Bunny
On Tuesday night, it was determined that E.P.U. must be set free to live his life as a wild rabbit, for that is what God created him to be. There were tears, video footage shot of the emotional event, and prayers for his safety. In the end, the gentle humans set down the container which the bunny had called home for two days in a front flower bed where they hoped he might even someday return to seek shelter from the heat of the sun.
For now, the children hope and dream that their little bunny has encountered some other friendly rabbits in the area, and is finding a place to call home in the big wide world. Perhaps having tasted of the harshness of this life, he might cherish his freedom all the more, and someday when he chooses to settle down and raise a family, locate a safer haven for his own little bunnies.
And maybe, just maybe…on a dusky evening some day this summer, the children might catch a glimpse of the little creature they saved and cared for long ago as he frolicks and plays in the tall grass and bushes nearby. Or at least, they hope so.
Posted by Tricia at 9:30 pm
….he’s looking at the camera!!
Hi, Mom!
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