Oh Joy!

We have a little baby coming this May 2nd in the Cavanagh family. O happy day!

Music

Everything about my church is just so wonderful. J and I were so lucky to find such a Jesus loving, bible teaching community that just feeds our souls and our minds and also extends out of the church doors to our daily lives. It really is a blessing. With this though comes one sad sacrifice, the music. I am not criticizing the music, our church does a wonderful job and it is always pretty but it is contemporary and I was raised singing the old old beautiful hymns. I know that a lot of what I desire is just to be able to know the songs and sing along, but even so, when the rare moment comes of an old hymn being chosen, my heart leaps for joy only to fall in disappointment again because the melody is changed to be more contemporary. I truly just come home with an emptiness in my heart and start singing the old beautiful hymns my grandmother began teaching me when I was 5 or 6 years old. Just a few excerpts of a few of my favorite hymns.

It is well with my soul

When Peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, 

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Abide With Me

1. Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
   The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
   When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
   Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;

Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?

I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

O Love that wilt not let me go, 

I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe, 

That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be. 

The Old Rugged Cross

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, 

The emblem of suffering and shame;

And I love that old cross where the dearest and best

For a world of lost sinners was slain

Be Still My Soul

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change, He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

  Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

    Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Low in the Grave He Lay

Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior; 

he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave he arose; 

with a mighty triumph o'er his foes; 

he arose a victor from the dark domain, 

and he lives forever, with his saints to reign. 

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

I think that a constant, repetitive theme for contemporary music is "I am worthless and need Jesus" or something along the lines of "you have taken away my sins at the cross and saved me." I am not belittling these statements but I think one of the things about old hymns that truly just bring us to tears or give us goose bumps or literally put a smile on our face the entire time we are singing is not only how beautiful the song is and being able to thank God for simply music in all its glory but the stories, the most beautiful sincere prayers, the perfect descriptions of our suffering and pain, being able to know and understand the sorrow or joy we are singing about. Another aspect of the old hymns that I think is lost in the newer age of music is the strong person of God, the might and power of God, His glorious and "mighty triumph o'er his foes." How wonderful to see not only his grace, steadfast love, and provision, but also his sword, his strength and his victory. 

This is my favorite hymn I believe and how simply beautiful and perfect it is. My grandmother taught it to us when we were so little with the most beautiful harmony and twice it has made me cry while singing. 

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,

When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,

I sing because I’m free,

For His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,

And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;

Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,

I sing because I’m free,

For His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,

When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,

I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,

I sing because I’m free,

For His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

A few new members...

Meet Daisy (the brown hen) and Pepper (the white and black). This past weekend J and I built a little coop (too little we decided) and we were given these two beautiful hens. 

Gunner is fascinated. The first morning I let him out and he saw them, he took off to the coop and circled it frantically trying to destroy these intruders. Since then I have knocked some sense into him and he keeps his distance but whenever I go over to the coop, he becomes the bird dog again. 

The first day we had them, they roamed free in our fenced yard as happy as could be until dusk came and they had no idea where to roost. We found them up on on our window sills and spent a good majority of the evening trying to catch them and put them up in their coop. So for now they are staying in their little coop for awhile to become familiar with their new home. 

J in the Kitchen

This past weekend has been fun with J and all of his cooking. I am lucky he grew up with a mom who made such delicious home cooked meals and I am thankful J loved to watch. Cooking together is one of our favorite activities and truly brings us so much joy. There is nothing like making something new, completely from scratch and then eating it! Last night, J made homemade pasta from scratch. It was so much fun, so easy (maybe not easy but simple) and it was sooooooooooooo goooooood! We didn't roll the pasta thin enough but that was OK because it was the yummiest kind of chewy pasta. We made a butter cheese sauce and had some fresh oregano from our garden. Oh my goodness we will never buy pasta from the store again! The Italians would be proud! (or think we are foolish for it not being second nature...)

The Biltmore

This past weekend we visited my parents in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains where we stayed in a cozy little cottage, tucked away in the woods for two days. On our last day we visited Ashville. My mom, J and I went to the Biltmore Estate and toured the grounds. It was so wonderful in every way! We also did an Upstairs, Downstairs "behind the scenes" tour. There is no photography inside so wamp wamp, but of course our favorite parts were the servants quarters and downstairs kitchens. This estate was so grand and the landscape so wooded and hilly, overlooking the mountains, it was hard to capture on an iPhone the expanse of the property. 

Uncle J

When Rocco was born and J came to visit him for the first time at the Perkins' sweet little house, we were probably around 18 and 19 in our rough years of distance. Nevertheless, J held sweet little baby Rocco, looked at me and said 'I hope one day I can be his uncle'. 

This past trip to Florida over Rocco and Remi's birthday, J was a king. He spoiled Rocco constantly, bought him everything his heart desired, and played with him nonstop. He was a trooper. Towards the end of Rocco's birthday party, when all the guest had gone, J and the little boys were missing. Come to find out he was playing legos with them upstairs. He was there for a good hour or longer and when I told him I was sorry if he felt stuck he said, 'absolutely not, its my favorite thing'. Before the legos, he had been pushing hank on the swing for what seemed like the majority of the party, Hank was in heaven. Now, whenever Hank facetimes me there is no hello but rather "Where's J?" (i don't mind).

When I thought J was about to criticize our family vacations by opening a conversation with... "the problem I have whenever we spend time with your family is"... (oh brother) ..."that Remi never wants to spend time with me, but I am excited because today he finally let me play with him." 

When it comes to Dagny, J is just star struck. He loves that little girl so much, he often steals her from my arms and just holds her and stares at her with this happy little smile on his face. He calls her a princess in the sweetest way and says she is a 'sweet little bundle of joy'. 

At the end of our trip when you would think J was ready to run back to our solitude and childless life, rather he told my sisters that often most children make him never want kids, but this bundle of little ones (my words not his) make him excited for that stage of life. Thank you sisters for marrying sweet husbands, making sweet babies, that have made the sweetest uncle out of J. And thank you little ones for loving him as much as I do. 

Homemade stamps!

For Rocco's birthday I made him some stamps. It was really fun and they turned out great. 

They don't have ink pads yet so they were using washable markers. A really fun, simple gift and Rocco is at the perfect age. These are his thank you cards for his birthday party guests.