It Takes a Family to Make a Joyful Noise

Watching the worship team this morning, I started thinking, "What if my family led worship one Sunday, singing and using the instruments we can play?" Imagine if you will, Adrienne fingering the flute,  Amy on the clarinet and Heather playing the saxophone. That leaves Aaron playing either the guitar, piano or trumpet, Lisa-Anna and Ryan singing and Leo on guitar (if we keep it simple). That leaves only me.

I can play the recorder. A little. Hot Cross Buns. Go Tell Aunt Rhody.
I can kinda play the piano. Kumbaya. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. The first few measures of Fur Elise.
This is not sounding too promising.
I could sing.

Have you ever heard a rabbit being chased down by a hawk?
Or the sound of brakes going bad?
Or even the sound a vacuum makes when the fan belt breaks?

Maybe I'll just play the tambourine. Really, how hard could that be?
Or I could play the handbells. You know, I did play them once, back in 1985 at the graduation ceremonies at Northern and Southern High Schools. Of course I only was responsible for one, or at the very most, two notes. Is Pomp and Circumstance a church song?

I am not sure that beautiful music is in the future for my crew. At least not as it is right now. But I do know that my girls, including my daughter-in-law, can all sing really well, Ryan loves to sing and his enthusiasm is contagious, and Aaron can take the piano or guitar and make beautiful music. Leo has a wonderful tenor voice and again that leaves me.

But I have talents too, although not musically. The worship team often has the words up on a screen and I think I could do that part. Or put pictures together with the music in an inspirational way. Or do a spiritual reading that goes with the worship theme.

We could each do our part. And love does cover a multitude of sins (or off-key screeching  singing).

1 Peter 4:8-10
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.  As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.

So who knows…maybe someday the Maust crew will lead out in worship. And believe me, it would be a joyful noise. Here's a sample from earlier today:

Love,
Dianne

Loving Me Some Saturday

For today at least, I am loving Saturday.

When I was a youth of the 70's and 80's, Saturday mornings were for cartoons, like the Smurfs, The Pink Panther, Mr Magoo, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones and The Jetsons. Buttered toast and scrambled eggs were on the menu. Later in the morning, if Dad had some down-time from farm work, he'd watch wrestling and we'd sometimes watch with him. Hulk Hogan. Dusty Rhodes. Andre the Giant, The Sheik. I remember a few.

(Did I really just admit that?)

Now? Saturday mornings are for sleeping in, eggs with peppers, mushrooms and olives, a glass of orange juice, and sometimes fresh donuts from Springs Store. Oh, and coffee while reading the newspaper or like today, a gardening magazine. I know it's cold and snowy, but I know that underneath all that, there are growing things just waiting for Spring.

Saturday afternoons when I was growing up were about cleaning the house. Everything got a good going-over with the dust cloth, the vacuum and mop. Sinks were scoured, toilets were scrubbed and laundry was folded neatly and put away. Bedrooms were supposed to be cleaned, but sometimes one would get distracted listening to the radio and needing to have total silence while a hand-held tape recorder was held close to the radio while a song was recorded. I wish I still had those cassette tapes; those were some of the best songs. Kenny Rogers, Anne Murray, Barry Manilow, Duran Duran, the Eurythmics, Billy Joel, REO Speedwagon, Chicago and Air Supply.

Yes, I liked REO Speedwagon.

Now? I still clean the house. More or less. I think because of my work schedule, I don't have a set cleaning routine much to my house's dismay. I clean when I get a chance and when I am motivated. If that is all I did on a day off, I truly would never get anything else accomplished. I can live with a little dust. Or a lot. I'm building my family's immunity.

What else, besides cleaning, does this Saturday hold? I need to go get groceries and Leo and I are going on a date to a neighboring Amish farm to get some milk because  I am going to try to make cheese. Mozzarella cheese. Or at least try. I'll let you know how that goes.

Saturday evenings as a kid meant bath time followed by Hee-Haw. Isn't that what everybody watched Saturday night? I don't remember much else about Saturday evenings, but everything felt right. The faint smell of lemon and pine mingled with the scent of fresh linen lingered in the air, the lamps were on and the cozy glow made you want to curl up in the living room. It was good.

Now? My teenagers often have someplace to go, an activity or The Event at church. When they were little, it meant bath time for them just like it had for me and my sisters. Ryan still needs a push to get his taken. But otherwise, Saturday night (when I am off work) is for Leo reading Lancaster Farming, eating Brie, and for me, it's whatever project I am currently working on. Sometimes it is just reading a book. Occasionally I like to bake in the evenings; maybe something to go with my coffee Sunday morning.

Sunday's. That a whole different story, one I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Happy Saturday!!
Dianne

Picking A Name For Keeps

Even though I am not planning on adding another Little Maust to our family, I still think about names that I like. However, liking a name is no reason to bring a baby into the world just so I can name him or her. Nevertheless, I was thinking about names again this evening.

Take my name for instance. Dianne. Why did my parents choose that for me and why with two "n's"? The meaning of my name is derived from the Latin Diviana, which is from divus (divine). The name is borne in Roman mythology by the virgin goddess of the moon and of hunting.

The virgin moon goddess. Ooooh-kay. Oh, and don't forget, the goddess of hunting. Interesting.

Another on-line source states that "the meaning of the name Dianne is: The French form of the Latin Diana. Famous bearer: Diane de Poitiers, mistress of France's King Henri II.Divine. Mythological ancient Roman divinity Diana was noted for beauty and swiftness; often depicted as a huntress. 

Beauty and swiftness. Excuse me for a moment. Buwahahahahahhahahahaha.
Cause we all know how well I run. Swiftly is not the word I would use. I can use a Swiffer though.

When Leo and I were choosing names for our children, it came to me that there may be another reason that a pregnancy is nine months long. It takes that long to decide, and agree on a name. See, I had already decided (because I already had a running list of "likes" in my head), but it was getting him to agree.

Adrienne (a French baby name; the meaning of the name Adrienne is: From Adria, the Adriatic sea region. Also means dark. In Latin form, the name means: rich, wealthy, dark one). Okay, so we didn't pick her name because of the meaning either. It's not a family name. We just liked it, that's all. I think it's a strong name for a strong woman.

Aaron (a Biblical baby name; the meaning of the name Aaron is: A teacher; lofty; mountain of strength.). Again, a name we both liked. He was almost "Dale" after my Dad's middle name, but he didn't look like "Dale", he was definitely an "Aaron." He's a quiet mountain of strength and worthy of his name.

Amy (again, French or Latin origins; means "beloved"). Actually, Amy was named after my Great Aunt Amy Yoder. While I didn't know Amy well, she was always a woman I admired for her strength of character, her spunk and determination. She took the hard things that life had dealt her and let them shape her into a godly woman. I liked that she let her hair be a little unkempt and she didn't hide her skin that was weathered and wrinkled. I wish I had known her better.

Heather (an English baby name; in English the meaning of the name Heather is: A flowering evergreen plant that thrives on peaty barren lands as in Scotland.). When picking a name for Baby #4, the dilemma was whether or not to use another "A" name since the first 3 all started with that letter (which was not intentional by the way. These were just the names we liked and that fit.) We chose not to. After all, this baby girl needed a name that was her very own, starting with the first letter. Sometimes I think telling your child she is named after a shrub is not altogether nice, but then when I look at the meaning, it fits. Someone that blossoms even when all around is barren. Heather. I like it.

Ryan (a Gaelic baby name; the meaning of the name Ryan is: Little king.). Our youngest really likes that his name means "little king". Your Royal Highness. My others would say that he gets away with a lot. (However, his name has nothing to do with it.) I always liked the name Ryan and when I was pregnant, a woman, a friend who I thought very much of, died after a too quick battle with cancer. Her last name was Ryan.

It's funny, but a name we considered for each of our unborn babies, if they were born male, was Grant. We never used it, not even as a middle name. The moniker just never fit any of my boys. Other names we considered? Natalie, Vivian, Elisabeth, Janelle, Austin, and Jared were a few.

 Names I like today if I were to name another baby? Violet, Hazel, Rosemary, Nigel, and Myles, to name a few.

Maybe I need to get some goldfish.

Love,
The Moon Goddess with Swiftness in the Hunt aka Dianne




P.S. Thanks to http://www.sheknows.com/baby-names

The Simple Life of Paper Dolls

I don't like just sitting and watching a movie. My hands need to be busy…

…hemming, mending, folding, mixing, sorting, cutting…you get the idea.

So, the other day, I wasn't feeling well and I stayed in bed to watch a movie. I thought I was good to go, but then my brain just kept going back to reminding me that I felt lousy. My hands weren't busy and therefore my brain had no where else to focus. And then my eyes fell on this old brown folder that I have had in my possession since I was about 9 years old.

Labeled simply, "Ginghams", what it contained was remnants of my childhood that I can't quite bear to get rid of.  Opening the folder, I was greeted by these four lovely girls, Sara, Becky, Carrie and Katie.
Paper dolls to some, but old friends to me.

And then, tucked into a side pocket was Amy Jo and her wardrobe, just waiting to be pulled out and remembered. My sisters, Kimmy and Roxie each had a companion of Amy Jo's and we had many hours pretending and making up stories that would become these doll's lives.

But, there was more. Two books of paper dolls that had never been cut out. One was a gift for Adrienne when she was about 5 years old. Hmmm, I'm only 17 years behind getting them cut out. Maybe my someday grandchildren can play with them.

Oh, but there's more. This young master and sweet lass were also awaiting a wardrobe. They had been too long in just their underclothes. Here they are, resplendent in their Sunday best.

 Remember how some paper dolls you could just punch out? Not these. I needed to go around each line, each curve, every detail just so. I tell you, it was therapy.

As I meticulously cut out various hats, coats and purses, I remembered that somewhere I have a Trixie Belden paper doll along with her best friend Honey Wheeler. But where? Those I definitely need to find again.

The little scraps of paper were accumulating on the bed, the movie continued to play, and my mind turned to wondering what ever happened to the homemade paper dolls we used to make, cutting out people from the Sears Roebuck Catalog and naming them after our favorite TV actors and actresses.
I had a folder full of people, arranged by age and gender, that I kept in a drawer of the little cupboard my Grandpa Bender made for me.

Somewhere in my attic, I think I have the last Sears Catalog made. Hmmmm. Maybe another day. First, I need to finish these other wardrobes and be thankful for the memories of something so simple but yet brought so much joy.




Love,
Dianne

On "The Wanted" List

December 20, 2013:  Pulled over in a random fashion by a police officer after he was stopped behind me at a stop sign. I wasn't speeding. I wasn't texting. I wasn't doing anything. But my registration sticker was expired, so the lights came on and I pulled dutifully over.

Oh bother. I can't even get pulled over for doing anything mildly exciting.

I was issued a fine for having an expired sticker. I had 10 days to pay. (I thought I had 15 days to pay. This becomes a problem as you will see.)

January 4, 2014: I get a letter in the post. District Court something-or-other.

Oh bother.

Seems I forgot to take care of the matter and now, a warrant for my arrest is being filed. And I thought having a one-day-in-school suspension for chewing gum was bad.

I tried taking care of it over the phone with the number that was in the letter, but of course, their office was closed. Well, the nerve.

January 6, 2014: Another letter. This time from the constable. I am going to be placed on a national database. Because I am a danger to society (it didn't really say that last part, but it's how it made me feel.). No matter that there are people out there admitting to using illegal drugs, not paying child support, shoplifting, abusing their elderly grandparents, or hitting their children, because all resources must be used to capture the delinquent oops-I-work-two-jobs-it's-the-holidays-and-I-am-a-few-days-late-paying-my-fine criminal. Yeah, it kinda makes me angry.

The money is in the mail; I am refusing to put it on a credit card. The District Magistrate's office was notified. They said "they'd take care of it." My picture better not end up in the newspaper.

Still January 6, 2014: I have to work tonight. Which means driving. In my car. With the old sticker still in plain view because my new one has not arrived in the mail yet. Should I worry? Should I wear a disguise? No.

Leo is driving with me to Johnstown tonight so he can stay with his dad. I may live to drive another day. Unless, wait…is my inspection up-to-date?

Love,
Dianne the Delinquent

Cold Weather, Cool Thoughts

My breath freezes in the wind, words held in place by the frigid air. 

The thoughts stay in my mind, 

swirling like the snow squalls across the open field. 

The night before, a storm approached. 

It's edges were defined, sharp and cold as steel. 

I didn't want to venture out, but I had no choice. 

 Life is like that sometimes. 

Hard.

Cold. 

Relentless. 

But in all of that, 

all that makes me shiver,

all that makes me cold to my weary bone,

there is beauty too.

I just need to look for it. 

For in that breath that freezes in the air,

there is praise. 

God is who He says He is. 

“He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’” ~Job 37:6

“Out of the south comes the storm, And out of the north the cold. From the breath of God ice is made, And the expanse of the waters is frozen.” ~Job 37:9-10

Pretty cool, huh?

Love,

Dianne

Happy New Year...Onward and Upward

I don't always like to reflect.
Especially when it involves reflecting on the year just past.
Sometimes the reflection only reveals what I perceive as failure and procrastination.
That is discouragement served on a platter.

Instead I want to just move forward. Not make goals or resolutions because then at the end of 2014, I can look back and again see failure and procrastination.

Okay, really, I am starting to make myself feel quite despondent here. I mean, nothing like setting oneself up for failure before Day 1 is even over. Sheesh.

Start over.

2013 was good. Amidst the living of everyday life we had one child move out and later on, get married. We had one going to camp for the very first time and he loved it. We had another headed into her senior year of high school and she couldn't hardly wait for 2014 to get here. Our oldest transferred to Frostburg State and her education is continuing. Then there is the child who finally got to start going to youth group. All in all, a good year.

Leo and me? We survived all the above events and happenings and it gave us ambition to move forward into 2014. See, we don't know what any given day holds, let alone any given year. So we just have to take it a day at a time. One foot in front of the other. And whether or not I make a goal that I achieve (or not), it doesn't define who I am.

Maybe what I need to do is find a saying, a verse, a quote, something to inspire me to keep putting myself out there, to keep taking steps forward, to live moment to moment. So, let's see…

"I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam-I-Am."
--Dr. Seuss

Too specific. And I don't know, I may actually like green eggs and ham.

Isaiah 22:13
New International Version (NIV)
" But see, there is joy and revelry,
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”

I know we live on a beef farm, but maybe this is taking it a little too far.

“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!” 

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Ah, now we're getting somewhere.

Isaiah 43:2-3, 18-19
English Standard Version (ESV)

2When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

18 “Remember not the former things,
    nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

So, between Dr. Seuss and Isaiah 43 I think I have it. Read all of Isaiah 43. Wow. And while I don't relish the idea of "deep waters", "river's of difficulty", or "the fire of oppression", I do see the promise that is there. I will not drown. I will not be burned up. The flames will not consume me. Wow.

Today is my day. The mountain is waiting and there is no point in just staying at the bottom. God is at my side and I have to take that first step. Onward and upward.

Love,
Dianne