"You Are Out Of Luck!"

March 31, 2013 Sherri Rice

Our oldest son ran down the stairs this morning, proclaiming "He is risen, he is risen, he is risen!" He is risen indeed!

What a wonderful wake-up! Our oldest has autism and routine is very important to him. He says much the same thing every morning, "Hi Mom! Can I have a show? Toast (or bagel) please." For him to break out of his routine and to be thinking about the significance of this day was just a little bit of a miracle this morning. And it made us smile :)

Then he continued, "Jesus is risen. He is not here. You are out of luck."

Well, not quite what the angel said, but in his own way of paraphrasing, it works. If you were one of the women returning to the tomb to properly prepare Jesus' body for burial, you were indeed "out of luck" - his body was not there!

And then I thought about it some more. What a statement to Satan, to guilt, to shame, to death, to separation from God - "You are out of luck!" While their influence will still be felt as long as we are here on this earth, Jesus has the final say. In dying and rising again, He has already won the ultimate victory.

"Just as everyone must die once and then be judged, so Christ was offered as a sacrifice one time to take away the sins of many people. And He will come a second time, not to offer himself for sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him... let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, because we have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised." Hebrews 9:27-28; 10:22-23 (NCV)

Happy Easter!

Sherri

P.S. The recipe for the Paska bread can be found here - it's yummy!

Flowers, Chocolate, Cookies, and Curveballs

February 14, 2013 Sherri Rice

I had an idea what I would post today, but then life happened and so bear with me as I take a little bunny trail (I'll get back to slipcovers soon enough). First came the curveball - a sympathetic phone call from the principal at our sons' school, informing me that our oldest's facilitator would be leaving in a couple of weeks for another job.

Our oldest son has mild-moderate autism and to facilitate his full inclusion in a regular 3rd grade classroom, has has a facilitator - someone who is with him all day, keeps him focused and on track, is able to take him out for breaks if needed and generally works one-on-one with him has he needs. He has had the same facilitator since he came to the school for 1st grade and I cannot tell you how good she has been for him. God knew exactly who he would need and sent her! Now, God is leading her in a new direction. I was reminded that God knew this all along and has already been preparing the next perfect person for our son, so I prayed for peace, a smooth transition for him, and for his facilitator (and then I passed the request on to my Mom and Dad, our faithful prayer warriors).

Then the chocolate - yes, I confess am an emotional eater and chocolate is my go-to :) A few pieces before I headed to Target for a little retail therapy (and to get ingredients for the Valentine cookies he has been persistently asking for!).

Flowers - shortly after I arrived home, Murray got home, too, bearing flowers and chocolate (he knows me well! Almost 19 years since our first date!). Aren't they beautiful? And yes, the chocolate wrapper is empty, but I did share ;)

Cookies - I found the recipe here. Taste-tested and approved by the men of this household :) Just note, I used a 1" ice cream scoop for the cookies and ended up with about 4 doz. cookies (better than the 24 that the recipe says). More cookies is always better in this house!

So, did I cover everything? Oh, how did the retail therapy go? Well, I found a pair of pants on clearance that fit (!) and these great appetizer plates...

I think they will be perfect for cookies ;)

Are you facing a curveball right now? Can I pray for you? I would be honored.

Sherri

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Rom. 15:13

New Year, New Start

December 31, 2012 Sherri Rice

Well, I have jumped into the blogosphere, not just as a reader, but as a writer (me? A writer?). So, please be patient as I work out the kinks – this is very new for me! I'm not sure where this journey will take me, but since we are all about road trips and new places in our family, I will start down this road and see where it takes me! I thought I would start, not with a slipcover project (although I have several of those to share) or a diy project completed (yes, there are a few of those, too), but with my Word of the Year. I first came across the idea last year as several of the bloggers I follow wrote about their own words. Somehow defining, but not as specific as random resolutions, I thought I might be a good idea to try. So, for 2013 my Word of the Year is…

GROW

This is a pretty generic word, but I think it is a good fit for me this year. Most obviously, I am hoping to grow my slipcover business. This blog is, hopefully, going to be a significant part of that. But GROW has personal implications, too. To me it means stretching and adapting to meet challenges; not necessarily "more" but "better." I think of growing deep and building up.

"As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so continue to live in him. Keep your roots deep in him and have your lives built on him. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always be thankful." Col. 2:6-7 NCV.

And yes, be thankful always! I want to grow my personal thankful list. (Sidebar - have you read Ann Voskamps's book One Thousand Gifts? If not, put it in your to-read list this year – it's worth it! Sorry there's no link – I haven't figured that out yet).

So, what does GROW mean to you? do you have a word for the year? Please share!

Happy New Year everyone!

Sherri

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