Uncategorized – Page 41 – everything He gives

yarn along

January 13, 2016January 13, 2016 MarthaKimball2 Comments

I’ve finished all the kids socks (pictures below) and am working on Brandon’s now. But I seem to need a couple projects going at once, so when my wooden circular needles came in the mail (late christmas gift from brandon) I got to work on a hat. I’m just making up a pattern as I go, and have never worked decreases on a hat before or knitted a hat in the round, so I’m hoping it turns out okay! I’m just about to start the decreases.

Also, I seem to keep multiple books going at once, too. I picked up I Capture the Castle from my shelves this week, just in need of some fiction lately. I remember enjoying it years ago and can’t quite remember much about it, so it’s been interesting to get back into it. I’m about a third of the way through. I think my perspective as a single girl reading it (before) is quite different now, almost 10 years of marriage and three children later. Love stories just read differently when your love story has mostly been written rather than being a blank page of wonderment before you, if that makes sense?

Anyway, it’s a nice diversion. As promised last week, here are some pictures of Philippa’s finished socks and the three kiddos all together. I see lots of mistakes in these socks, but I learned a TON and really had fun making them, and I prefer character over perfection anyway.

What are you knitting or reading? (Joining up with Ginny today. Go check out what lovely things others are making/reading for some inspiration!)

listening for His voice

January 10, 2016 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints of light.”
Colossians 1:11-12

outside + in

January 8, 2016 MarthaKimball3 Comments

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We’ve been really enjoying a lot of family time lately, and since the winter weather has been so crazy mild here we’ve been outside a good bit. My youngest brother was visiting after Christmas and we took the kids hiking on Graybeard trail in Montreat where Brandon and I spent so many of our college days hiking and exploring.

Noah also got his first fishing pole for Christmas and was so excited to go fishing with Daddy on the lake in our neighborhood. He caught his first fish, too!

Last weekend we were able to take an impromptu trip to South Carolina to visit Brandon’s parents as they are prepping their house to put it on the market. We had such a relaxing and quiet/restful weekend with them. The kids absolutely love them and their house. Noah had his first opportunity to sleep in a big boy room set up just for him, and he did so well and was so excited about it being just for boys. He and Phoebe seem to love sharing a room but I’m thinking he may be getting ready for his own space and it may be time to move the girls in together. All the kids are obsessed with the grandparents’ dogs, which are tiny little mikki’s. Philippa kept calling them “ba-ba,” which is her word for baby. Brandon and I were able to get out for a good run together while the kids napped on Sunday. I was able to spend hours knitting. We were all a bit sad to say goodbye, and when we pulled into our neighborhood late Sunday night Phoebe and Noah both started whimpering and Noah said “I hate home.” So apparently, they had a great time. 🙂

This week has been colder, we even saw some flurries earlier in the week! I realize I’ve been really feeling off without a good cold winter and no signs of snow. As much as I am savoring the milder weather with little ones who get cooped up indoors, it just feels so strange to see wisteria blooming and daffodils springing up through the dirt in January. I read on a friend’s blog a week or so ago that “winter is a time for dreaming” and I’ve thought about it so often since. think it’s important for us to have a season where we are forced to live more quiet, small, and slow because the days are short and cold. It’s been a hard week, in some ways, working on a lot of projects, cleaning, and our budget (read: gag me with ruffage). But Brandon did surprise me on New Year’s Eve with those sweet pink roses. And there has been time for reading hand-written cards and knitting baby socks. So life is good.

“winter is the time for comfort,
for good food and warmth,
for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:
it is the time for home.”
– edith sitwell

and for knitting + reading + watching “When Calls the Heart” + “Life Below Zero,” I might add.

Happy wintering, friends!

yarn along

January 6, 2016 MarthaKimball4 Comments

So I’ve finished philippa’s first sock and onto the cuff of sock number two! I’ve been really loving working with this color yarn (Semolina) and her sock is so darn cute on her, I can’t wait to see them both on. Once everyone’s are finally done I will snap a pic with them all wearing them! Philippa keeps snagging the finished sock and I catch her trying with consternation to get it on her foot. So I think she will like them.

I’m still working through a few books but haven’t gotten in much reading time the last few days. I have started this condensed version of Little Women with Phoebe. I found it at the Target dollar spot (along with a bunch of other bantam classics!) before Christmas for $1 so I couldn’t pass it up. This one looks similar. Plus it has great hand-drawn illustrations on almost every page which she loves in a chapter book. It is very condensed but it’s a good introduction to the basic story line and I will probably read her the longer version soon. She and I used to always read a chapter book together, one chapter a day (we worked our way through most of the Little House on the Prairie Books) but I’ve had a harder time squeezing this reading time in with her lately and want to get back to it. She is such a reader and it’s a way she and I can have just some special mommy/daughter time together.

Here are the socks for each child so you can see the sizing. The pink are Phoebe’s, blue are Noah’s and yellow are for Philippa.

Joining in with Ginny Sheller’s yarn along today. Happy knitting, friends! What are you working on?

for the fearful + trembling ones

January 4, 2016January 4, 2016 MarthaKimball5 Comments

“The Lord reigns; He is robed in majesty;
The Lord is robed, He has put on strength as His belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their roaring.
Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
Mightier than the waves of the sea,
The Lord on high is mighty!

Your decrees are very trustworthy;
Holiness befits Your house,
O Lord, forevermore.”

Psalm 93

This is how I enter a New Year. This, Psalm 93, is the word that breaks out over it. If I’m honest, I often begin a new year fearful. Maybe that’s something that will change one day, maybe it’s changing right now. The reality is, it’s the honest truth of my heart. He knows it anyway, I might as well be honest. He receives me, even in my frailty and insecurity.

I look back over the past year and I can’t believe the trials that were faced, the things that hit us that we could never have seen coming. And I fear, what is ahead? I know that no one gets through life unscathed, no one gets through a year unscathed by hardship of some kind. I know pain is on its way to me. Loss. Difficulty. And yet, joy is on its way to me, too. Good things are coming. Great joys are coming! We end the year singing hymns of peace on earth + good tidings of great joy, and yet I start the year feeling like the floods are threatening to rise up, they lift their voice and demand to be heard. But over it all, He reigns.

Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!

No matter what comes, no matter what threatens to come, this is the ground beneath my feet: the Lord reigns.

It is the wonderful thing about being under His rule: it is brim-full of promise. He works all things together for my good. His purpose will stand and no one can thwart it. The good work He began in me He will bring to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. He will perfect that which concerns me. All His promises to me are yes + amen in Jesus Christ. He will never leave me nor forsake me. He gives more grace. He will make me happy by what His hands have done. All that He asks of me, His grace will provide. No weapon formed against me will prosper. That same power that raised Christ from the dead is now living in me. Christ in me, the hope of glory, the greatest mystery of all.

“For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.”
(Isaiah 54:10)

“God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea
Though its waters roar and be troubled
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

There is a river whose streams
Shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved,
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.”
(Psalm 46:1-7)

This is the answer to all of my anxieties: the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge. This is the antidote: the Lord reigns.

I don’t have to hold my world up. I don’t have to hold Him on His throne–He establishes it, He is robed in strength + majesty.

Isn’t it, in a world gone mad, in a tumultuous world where bombings, terrorism, murder + rape, earthquakes + hurricanes, failing health, failing finances, failing relationships loom heavy– Isn’t it really the truth?

The world is established; it shall never be moved. (Ps. 93:1)

It feels wild and raging and out of control. But His word says it really is somehow all in His hands. The bedrock beneath all of our quaking and heaving is still the same: His purposes are fixed, they shall never be moved, not even a fraction of an inch by the sinfulness and instability of man and the fallenness of the created order. When it feels senseless, I must remember: It is all ordered by purpose.

So maybe I’m the only one who quakes a bit at the start of a new year. Maybe I’m the only distrusting and fearful child of His that looks back over the last year and sees all the hardship that came and sometimes forgets how His grace saw me through it all. Maybe I’m the only one who felt a bit bowled over by some things that came in 2015. Maybe I’m the only one who feels the enemy of my soul breathing threats and lies at the back of my neck. But I doubt it. For anyone else who quakes a bit at the verge of a new year, for anyone else who feels like they’re standing on shaking ground, for anyone else who is staring certain hardship right in the face:

He is our constant source of stability (Isa. 33:6).

The Lord of hosts is with us. The Immanuel of Christmas, the one who came to be with us as one of us, goes into this new year with us. He goes before. His hand is upon us. He is our rearguard.

Yes, the Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.

So for you and I, the trembling ones, the quaking and sometimes-unbelieving ones:

May we know in 2016 that His throne is established, that we are His people, that He will establish us, that He will carry us, that His grace will see us through. May He be the security of our times.

christmas day

January 1, 2016January 1, 2016 MarthaKimball1 Comment

This was probably our favorite Christmas with the kids thus far. Whereas last year all of us cried at some point on Christmas morning and the children kept fighting over gifts, this year everyone seemed relaxed and content. I got up a good bit earlier than the kids to make our breakfast cake, enjoyed some time alone with coffee and candlelight and the Lord, and just savored that holy quiet anticipation waiting for the house to wake up. Soon the patter of feet running down the hallway, squeals and giggles and snuggles. We let the kids open their stockings right away, which was really fun. Phoebe tried on her socks that I had knit for her for the first time which was so awesome for me to finally see them on her and see how they fit! Brandon read the Christmas story, and we ate our Blueberry Yogurt Morning Cake (thanks to Shauna Niequist’s recipe, adapted to be gluten-free) with eggs + sausage, and sang happy birthday to Jesus. The kids truly love doing that.

After breakfast we opened the gifts under the tree and just took our time. They got a lot of books this year, mainly, plus one bigger item and a couple of hand knits and clothing items. Family members also contributed some of their gifts. I bought Brandon some new jeans + boots, and a woodburning kit. He bought me a beautiful bracelet (which I adore), a book I have been wanting, cozy socks, and some knitting supplies (a yarn bowl + wooden needles)! We headed out for a walk and bike ride, then B + I snuggled and watched a movie (and I knitted) while the kids took naps. After they woke up we headed to my parents house (10 min away) to gather with family, open some presents there together and have dinner. It was maybe one of my favorite times together, singing Christmas songs with my brother leading us in worship + piano playing. My parents always make the most amazing celebratory meals, and we were not disappointed!

It was a sweet day of worship and pouring out love on each other. It was simple + extravagant at the same time. For some reason it’s hard to achieve that, I feel, to worship our God and love one another extravagantly, and yet to keep the gifts simple. It’s a battle to keep our focus on celebrating the greatest gift of all, which is Christ. We fail in one way or another every year, but still, even knowing our frail and broken nature, He offers Himself to us afresh each year.

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas with your loved ones + that you have a blessed and happy New Year! Thanks so much for reading along here with our little family. You truly bless me!

we have a five year old

December 31, 2015 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

Her birthday is only a couple of days before Christmas. It’s historically very difficult to plan a party around that time, being that everyone is out of town usually or busy, and Phoebe is a girl who loves a party! When I asked her this year what she wanted to do, she said she wanted to play with her best friend, Melody. The morning of her birthday was a work day for Brandon, so as soon as the birthday girl was up, she opened her cards and gifts (it’s hard for a 5-year-old to wait all day) so that Daddy could be there. We gave her a sleeping bag and a new flannel nightgown, which is basically her favorite thing to sleep in ever. She will wear dresses night and day, given the opportunity. I also gave her the scarf she had asked me to knit for her in the yarn she had picked out, which she loved way more than I thought she would. I had also made her a hat, since she’s been asking me for awhile. Her cousins gave her a dress-up dress with a matching mini one for her doll, which she LOVES. Her friend Melody came over mid-morning and gifted her a wooden bead necklace set, which they loved working on together. Such a sweet and thoughtful gift! After naps, we prepped for some family to come over for dinner. She loved her cake and strawberries (which are her favorite) and opened gifts from Rainey + Grandpa (a play mobile dollhouse + some Hanna Anderson silver clog boots)! Earlier in the month, one of her aunties gifted her and I tickets to the Nutcracker ballet, which basically made it a perfect birthday for this girl who loves to dance.

It’s hard to believe this little one is already five years old. Her birth was one of the best days of my life and becoming a mother to her opened up a world of joy to me. She’s had a hard year in some ways, lots of change and doctor appointments. But she’s also matured so much this year and I am savoring the little bond that is growing between us. The other night I was taking a bath and she came in and sat with me, feet in the tub, and just talked about life and whatever was on her heart. She’s becoming such a little woman.

kingdom come

December 30, 2015 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

The kids are napping, it’s raining (again!) and so I’ve made a hot cozy drink, pulled on my long woolen socks and sitting here in the quiet. I’m entering that deeply pensive end-of-year state that I go into every year around this time. This whole month has been so busy, I haven’t sat down to write hardly at all and my soul feels a bit like the ground outside.. so full and saturated with water from all this endless rain, and needing a run-off.

I spent the morning packing away all the Christmas decorations, making all the spaces seem quiet and empty. All is tidy now, but I can’t bear to put away the tree + the last strand of twinkle lights. I hate this part of it, the part where it’s over and now all the green and red seems obtuse and I feel sad that it’s done for another year. I crave the clean and empty space again, ordinary life again, but the holidays really are magical and holy and happy and so chock full of celebration that ‘ordinary’ feels strange and empty at first. Will there be any more magic to be had in our ordinary moments, our Mondays in January, where we get back to real life and attend to our lists and waistlines?

I’m prayerfully holding open hands these next couple of days, as we say goodbye to and tie up the very last strings around the year of 2015. I’m asking the Lord to show me His work over the last year, to show me the state of my soul, to speak to me a word over the year 2016. Ultimately our days are short, these years are flying by now, and I’m always left wondering if I’m living my days in such a way that count for the kingdom of God. Reading in the Gospel of Luke this morning these words by Jesus:

“The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is! or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
(Luke 17:20-21)

In Jesus’ day, when He walked the earth, the kingdom of God was literally in their midst because He was in their midst. Today, the kingdom of God is here because His Spirit is in the midst of us, His children. His deposit, His guarantee, His Spirit, His life + breath in us. Immanuel, God-with-us still with us and walking among us by His always-presence in us.

This has been my pondering over the last many months, the mystery of the kingdom of God. The mystery of Christ in us, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). This has been the mystery I can’t seem to explain or to shake: that His kingdom has come (upon His arrival on this terrestrial sod) and that His kingdom is still here and active in our midst because His Spirit is in us and accomplishes His redemptive work through us, and that His kingdom is still yet to come fully, awaiting His final return. This could be the thing that gives meaning to all our moments, all our days. This could be the magic that we find in our Mondays in January, in our ordinary moments that feel empty and unholy and unnoticeable. This is the way of the kingdom, to come like mustard seeds and leaven, like a pearl of great price and treasure hidden in a field (Matt. 13). This is the way of the kingdom, treasures hidden in the small, the overlooked, the everyday.

Maybe this prayer to reign supreme over 2016: Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

yarn along

December 30, 2015December 30, 2015 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

I haven’t been getting much reading done lately, with all the birthday and Christmas and family celebrations. I’m still working through Parables and The Things of Earth. I’m itching for a good fiction, though. I have a list waiting, just need to force myself to finish up what I’m reading before I move onto something else. James Herriot’s Treasury for Children was one of the kids’ Christmas gifts and we started on it today. They seemed to really love it, as I figured they would. They love anything having to do with animals + farm life, and so do I, really.

Noah’s first sock is done and I’m part way through the gusset of sock 2. I hope to have it done by tomorrow. He seems more excited about these than Phoebe did, so I’m hoping he likes them! She told me after I gave her hers for Christmas that she wanted red, not pink, and that they were too hot and poke-y. Ahh! But when I told her I’d just hand them down to her sister, she seemed suddenly quite attached to them.

Either way, I enjoyed making them. 🙂

(Joining up with Ginny Sheller’s weekly Yarn Along today)

winter birthdays

December 28, 2015 MarthaKimballLeave a comment

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For the kids’ birthdays we try to do something fun or different on their day, sort of let them decide what activity they want to do (within reason). At this age it’s so cute because they have no idea what options are available to them, so they ask to go on a bike ride or do a special craft. I sort of hope it stays that way. Simple is best! The hard part about winter birthdays is that there’s not much you can do outside and we don’t want to pay and arm and a leg to play somewhere indoors, either. We decided to pay for a family day pass to our local YMCA and take the kids climbing and swimming for the morning of Noah’s birthday.

It was such a hit for everyone and a great way for us to play together as a family! Every one of us had a chance to climb (well, Noah and the littlest only bouldered around) and it was refreshing for B and I to share something we love with the kids. Phoebe did really well and seemed pretty fearless, so we hope to take her again and let her try going a little higher. Of course, she made friends immediately with another little girl that was there bouldering around, and they had a blast.

After naps and snacks, Noah wanted to go out for a walk + bike ride. He saw the moon over head and said, “Look! The moon is coming with us!” We came back for dinner and gifts + cake, just us. He is the shyest birthday celebrant ever. He didn’t want us singing happy birthday to him, though we did anyway, and he didn’t want us to watch him blowing out his candle or opening his gifts. We got him a sleeping bag (thanks to my older brother for his pro-deals) and some new pj’s, and that stuffed Captain America (who he called “Jackson America”), because he kept asking for Superman for his birthday (Superman was unavailable, so Capt America stood in). He was probably most excited about the Lightning McQueen sticker book from his cousins.

This little guy is so fun and special and different from the girls, and it’s such a gift to get to raise a little man child.

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