Belleek Teapot - 1872 design - love it!

Look what Santa brought Granny...

A tricked out vintage Schwinn cruiser!!

(That's right--it is sparkly purple and orange!)

Christmas 2009

I'm officially ready for Christmas...

View from 18th floor room of The Westin (K.C.)

The mayor's 100' Christmas tree--

My Friend Darlene (1923 - 2009)

Imagine stepping onto a shore and finding it heaven.
Imagine taking hold of a hand and finding its God's hand.
Imagine breathing new air and finding its celestial.
Imagine feeling invigorated and finding it immortality.
Imagine passing from storm & tempest to an unknown calm.

Imagine waking and finding it home.

"Red Coat"--my pretty Chloe

For Melanie

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you

O Lord that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.
--William Shakespeare

I can't wait to see the restored version...

Here is the restored Crux Vaticana--

VATICAN CITY – One of the gems of the Vatican's priceless religious art collection — a 6th century reliquary containing the purported fragments of the cross on which Jesus was crucified — has been restored to its Byzantine-era glory.

The Vatican on Thursday unveiled the restored Crux Vaticana, a foot-high (40-centimeter-high) jewel-encrusted golden cross containing what tradition holds are shards of Jesus' cross inside.

The Associated Press was given an early look at the piece, and Byzantine art experts said the restoration rendered the cross much closer to what it would have looked like at the time the Byzantine Emperor Justin II gave it to the people of Rome.

Most significantly, the restoration corrected a botched 19th centuryrestoration that threatened to corrode the piece. And it replaced the brightly colored gems that were added in previous centuries with the large, imperfect pearls that are emblematic of Byzantine-era imperial masterpieces, said restorer Sante Guido.

A circle of 12 pearls now surrounds the relic, and pearls around the cross' edge now alternate with emeralds and sapphires — the two other gems most often associated with Byzantine emperors, he said.

While there are purported fragments of Christ's cross in churches around the world — including at Paris' Notre Dame and even across town at Rome's Holy Cross basilica — the Crux Vaticana is considered the oldest reliquary of the cross. It is the crown in the Vatican's Treasury of St. Peter's collection of religious and historic artifacts.

In addition to the relic inside, the cross itself is an important piece of early Christian art. Measuring 40 cm by 31 cm (15.75 inches by 11.81 inches) it's a rare example of an imperial gift and an expression of the emperor's Christian faith. Across the piece is written in Latin: "With the wood with which Christ conquered man's enemy, Justin gives his help to Rome and his wife offers the ornamentation."

"It's the most important reliquary of the 'true cross' that we have," Guido told the AP. "It's particularly important because it's the only reliquary that came from an emperor, so there are various levels of religious and historic significance."

For centuries, the cross was used in the Vatican's most solemn ceremonies at Christmas and Easter. But 1,500 years of candle wax and smoke had dulled the gems and the cross' warm golden hue — grime that has been removed following a two-year restoration.

The work was paid for by an anonymous donor who didn't want the pricetag to be made public, officials said.

Ioli Kalavrezou, a Byzantine art history professor at Harvard University who has taught classes on the cross, said the restoration clearly rendered the cross closer to what it would have looked like when it was presented to Romans sometime between 565-578.

"I can't say it's exactly as it would've been, but it comes much closer to what an object like that would've looked like," she said in a phone interview.

The exact circumstances of why Justin gave Rome the relic are unclear. Guido noted that even though the eastern Byzantine Empire gained prominence in Constantinople after the 476 fall of the Roman Empire, Rome remained a religious capital because it was the "city of martyrs" — where Saints Peter and Paul were buried.

Emperor Justin clearly wanted to give the pope and people of Rome "a recognition of Rome as a city of Christianity," Guido said. At the time, most parts of Christ's cross were in the hands of the Byzantine emperor in Constantinople after being moved from Jerusalem in the 4th century, Kalavrezou noted.

"This is one of the earliest examples of this imperial gift, where he (Justin) shows the power he has in his hands — to control the most important relic in Christiandom and to have the luxury to make a gift of that," she said from Washington, where she is a visiting scholar at the Dumbarton Oaks Byzantine research library.

The cross will be on public display inside St. Peter's Basilica through April 12.

Little Matt, Jr.

My Little Pearl - Happy Birthday!

"God's kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it."

Unlike precious stones which must be cut and polished to reveal their clarity, pearls are perfect when they are found!

The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes

This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sails the unshadowed main,
The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.

Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
Wrecked is the ship of pearl!
And every chambered cell,
Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
Before thee lies revealed,
Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!

Year after year beheld the silent toil
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spiral grew,
He left the past year's dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft steps its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.

Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
Child of the wandering sea,
Cast from her lap, forlorn!
From thy dead lips a clearer note is born
Than ever Triton blew from wreathèd horn!
While on mine ear it rings,
Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!

Take a guess

These pictures were taken under a microscope--guess what they are! (And no, I didn't take them.)

An Ant--

A guitar string--
Split end of a hair--

The Nautilus House in Mexico City

What an interesting place...

and look at the bedroom:

Walk across China

I found this so interesting, I just had to share it:

The Longest Way 1.0 - one year walk/beard grow time lapse from Christoph Rehage on Vimeo.

Lili & Sophie

We were trying to get some pictures of the girls after the wedding. Maybe if we would have tied them down, we could have been able to get some still shots. Sophie thought it was a great idea to take their pictures in "bridge" pose...

Wisdom from Ralph Waldo Emerson...

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

1st time to babysit Miles--I was in baby heaven!

Lots of little cousins...

New Stick Pony/Sister Love

HOPE

"If you do not hope,

you will not find what is beyond your hopes."

--ST. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA

*****

"Hopeful eyes perceive the light

where other eyes see only night."

*****

"Hope knows

on the other side of pain

is joy,

on the other side of injustice is peace."

*****

"Hope does not disappoint us,

because God's love has been poured

into our hearts." romans 5:5

*****

"Each new stage draws me like bee to flower.

There, hope prompts me to unfold the petals

and dine on the nectar of my future."

*****

(All quotes from "The Silver Book of HOPE", a compilation of quotes about hope)

7 Longings of the Heart

1. The longing to be fascinated

"We need to be able to experience wonder and awe in order to function emotionally. The power to be deeply moved is something we all long for."

I saw this picture of Lili posted on Facebook and thought of this longing. She is so fascinated by that rock! What a great reminder that we are all born with a longing to see beauty, mystery, and splendor. Each one of us is invited on a life-long treasure hunt to search for beauty that creates holy curiosity that knows no boredom. There is nothing more exhilarating than when God reveals God to the human spirit!

(I am so fascinated by this picture of Lili. Look at her cute little ears, her bright red lips, and her dark eyelashes that make her look like she is wearing mascara. Such a beautiful creature! Made in the image of God Himself!)

2. The longing to possess beauty and to feel beautiful

"God's beauty is transferable to us in the highest measure. This longing is satisfied by the revelation of the Divine beauty imparted to us, His children."

3. The longing to be great and successful

4. The longing for intimacy without shame

5. The longing for the assurance of being enjoyed

6. The longing to be wholehearted and passionate

7. The longing to make a deep and lasting impact

--from The Ravished Heart of God by Mike Bickle

"Breath of Life" by Anthony Crudup

Breathe on me Jesus,
let Your breath push aside
all of my worries and troubles,
all of my sadness and sorrow.
Make room in me for
Your spirit of love,
Your spirit of joy,
Your spirit of peace,
Your Holy Spirit.
Fill me to the brim
so there will be no room
for anything
but Your holiness.
Let Your breath warm me and inspire me.
Be my breath of life, Jesus.

Amen.

(A prayer by Anne Bender)
Anne's blog:

http://annebender.blogspot.com/

Imprisoned in My Bones: Releasing my Inner Jeremiah

How Can I Keep From Singing? --Enya

My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth’s lamentation
I hear the sweet though far off hymn
That hails a new creation:
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul—
How can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth;
What though the darkness gather round!
Songs in the night He giveth:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that refuge clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
How can I keep from singing?

I lift mine eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smoothes
Since first I learned to love it:
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing:
All things are mine since I am His—
How can I keep from singing?

Babysitting for 3 under 3

Zoe's pictures of Miles

Michele's friend's pictures were so much better than mine, I stole some from Facebook! I don't think they are copyrighted, and I wanted you all to see them--Miles is SO precious!

Miles Matthew

Born: 09-09-09

Weighed: 9 pounds

19" long

Born at 5:59 pm

I'll wait to post a picture until Matt and Michele have posted the first one!

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.

-- Einstein (1879-1955)

Happy Birthday, Mason & Ben

Happy Birthday to Benjamin Moses--he turned 2 today!






Sweet little boy is 9 years old today!

Adorable little girls!