What does Charleton Heston playing Moses have to do with it?
Jesus set us free from the law of sin and death and we wish to celebrate by, well, no more Passover lamb, baby :: bring on the bacon!
Trepidation. Fear and trembling. You know: your basic I-don’t-really-know-what-the-heck-I-am-doing-but-I-will-try-it-anyway-knowing-the-party-is-an-hour-or-two-away-and-if-it-doesn’t-work-out-the-whole-thing-is-RUINED kind of day. I roll like that.
Today is Amelie Belle’s party. Because she is 2 now. She is a cutie-patootie and her Nonna loves her. So, she is getting (not sure if it was her actual request or just her mama’s, hehe) a 2-tier pale-pink ruffle cake with a bow on top.
Bottom tier: triple-layered chocolate fudge cake with with chocolate fudge filling. Yes, you can see some chocolate peeking through. Because I hurry.
Top tier: double-layered lemon-poppy-seed with some very delish fresh lemon curd for filling.
The ruffle technique. First time try. Whole cake covered: 7 minutes. Nice, fast way to go!
The cake stand, btw, is a ice cream dish and a plate, both from The Dollar Tree, glued together. Pale blue pain inside the upside-down ice cream dish. Needs a touch-up, but simple and quick.
Dang, babe. You’re just hitting your stride. At work on your third (?? losing count) novel, in the upcoming stage production of “Into the Woods,” being chosen to play Jean Valjean in the upcoming “Les Mis” production, running a massive Christian music festival, grandpa, dad, friend, lover, artist, intercessor, gun-toter…ETC! You are the best thing I did for my children, you are the most longsuffering husband ever. On your birthday, you are my gift.
This is the life you give me:
Jean Valjean to Fantine (Les Mis)
“And you’re [God’s] creation. In His eyes, you have never been anything but an innocent and…beautiful woman.”
:)
Ryan Faaland. I have only known him for a year and 6 days. But all along he was being prepared, God was readying our family and preparing the way for him to be grafted into the Rhoades tribe. He and Tredessa fell for each other quickly and I am pretty sure that his first huge family dinner with us made him like Tredessa even more. Haha.
We asked him 10,872 questions. And it was loud. And we played Charades. He laughed easy and he fit – just right. Prepared. A new son…
Your parents raised a good son. I know they are pleased with the man you have turned out to be. You are a man of integrity and character. You are caring and affectionate. You are the tender love God wanted to bless Tredessa with. You were prayed for and highly anticipated. You were long-awaited and appointed to a place of high honor, that of the man of Tredessa’s dreams – a place so unique, so protected in its’ scope and future, 3 massive music festivals turned up dry, man-wise. There was only one who would do…and it was you.
Below is your “birthday card.” It has a few of the words that describe you, things I see, things I was impressed by the Holy Spirit to impress upon you. I hope you will know the deep, full meaning of each. I pray your heart will resonate as these things confirm God’s call on your life, His plans for you, and His deep love for you, Ryan.
I wrote “You brought a part we didn’t know we were missing.” And even though we were waiting for you and looking for you, the gift God gave was more than we could have hoped or asked. We didn’t even know what we really needed. But God is good and He knew. And we love Him for the gift. We love you!
Here they are. Dave, Tara, and Hunter Magoo. They are waiting to be chosen, so they can choose. They are preparing for the baby they cannot see…yet.
“…faith… is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Hebrews 11.1,2 The Message
Even though the years of trying take their toll, hope is renewed again and again. Adoption becomes possibility. A great organization takes them through the paces and excitement rises. “The book” gets finished and delivered, a printed peek into their lives and a birth-mommy can acquaint herself with a possible family for her baby. And we wait.
Meanwhile, DP shares vision about Heaven Fest and adoption is part of the whole this year and he shocks us with the astounding statistic that if just 7% of Christians worldwide would adopt, there would be no more orphans.
And somewhere, a baby is being knit together in her mommy’s womb and she’ll need a home and family and God is preparing this one for her.
And we are not diminished in the waiting. We are not less anxious for the bebe to arrive, but rather enlarged with expectancy and anticipation. Oh yes, we are.
Romans 8:22-25
“All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.”
Dave Powers // Convoy of Hope Haiti Response from Wade Yamaguchi on Vimeo.
www.heavenfest.com A massive music and worship gathering.
www.convoyofhope.com A driving passion to feed the world
This is my dedication going out to you tonight – with a house full of grandbebes (the fruit of our lives and love) and “Gilligan’s Island” too loud on the TV and Star Wars guys strewn all over…dedicated to the one I love:
There’s no, no looking back for us
We got love sure ‘nough, that’s enough
You’re all I need to get by…
All the joys under the sun wrapped up into one
You’re all, you’re all I need to get by.
We are simplifying the look a bit. Think Mac. Cleaner. Pure color (not grayed over, nor muted, pul-eeze). But putting the Pinterest board together was just bringing various things that struck-my-fancy to one spot, my fancies (not Heaven Fest’s ,necessarily). When I think festival branding, these things all have a tiny piece of it in my collaged-head. You can see the whole board here:
http://pinterest.com/jeanierhoades/festival-graphics/
I spent years liking muted color (think antiques, think Starbucks-coffee-house colors). And while I still appreciate sort of the aged sophistication of those colors, I have increasingly been drawn to pure, bright color.
During 7th grade, I got to board a psychedelic-painted church bus and travel downtown to Christian Coffee Houses where the “One-way” chant became our cry. Songs reminded us there was only one-one God-one book “and that’s the Holy Bible” to get us to the promised land! There was a zealous passion of Jesus during that time. The media took notice.
My dad made me come out of my room to watch 3 televised days of Explo ’72 in Dallas. I was hooked after 5 minutes and it was the first time I realized I was part of a huge move of God in the earth. I wasn’t alone, just a little Christian girl in a small church in my small city. People everywhere loved Jesus. It was there I first heard/saw: Give me a J…give me an E…Give me an S…Give me another S….what’s it spell?….J E S U S….the crowds would yell, over and over.
Except it would be “One day, one stage, one purpose.” See how it is all coming together? :)
I am not sure why I wanted the Vertigo poster on my Festival Graphics Pinterest Board, but I think it is amazing design.
I hope some one really does this and I get to meet them.
