Emma's Birthday Wish

When we asked Emma what she wanted for her birthday, she said, "Kek! Kek!" She squealed with delight when she saw her teapot cake. Throughout the party, she sampled cookies, candy and cake. It seemed she had a different sweet treat each time I saw her. When I finally carried her upstairs for bed and asked her if she had fun being the birthday girl, she thought about her festive day for a moment, then said, "I wan' kek! I wan' kek!"

Photos by Nathan Prichard

Happy Family

Pretty Aunt Shana

Aunt Jennifer and Baby Caitlin

Uncle David shooting Uncle Nathan shooting Uncle David shooting ...

Princess Caitlin with three loyal subjects

Photos by Nathan Prichard

Candy Land

Photos by Nathan Prichard

It's Raining Candy

Our kitchen chandelier got a sweet treatment. The first two photos were taken by my father, Bob Prichard, and the second two were taken by my brother, Nathan.

Do Me a Favor

Party favors included swirl suckers, jellybeans, a box of tea and a photo of Emma. Goodie bags full of leftover teatime treats will bring back sweet memories of Tea for 2 at Emma's Sweet Shoppe.

Photos by Nathan Prichard; Photo of Emma by Sally Kent

Tables for 2

Photos by Nathan Prichard

Sweet Family

Carson holding Caitlin

Sweet Christian

Meme and Caitlin

Baby Caitlin, 10 weeks old, ready to attend her second tea party!

Photos by Bob Prichard

Baby Love

"Wow, Car-Car, your baby doll looks so real!"

Photos by Bob Prichard

Grand Opening

Emma's Sweet Shoppe was open and ready for business Saturday. Emma enjoyed playing with her brothers, sister and cousins. Aren't they sweet?

Photos by Bob Prichard

Happy Birthday, Emma!

Emma is 2 today! It seems like just yesterday I was holding my rosy pink newborn baby -- our early Valentine. It is such a joy to watch her grow. She is funny and exuberant, adventurous and affectionate. We will be celebrating Emma's second birthday with "Tea for 2" this weekend with family. Our party theme is Emma's Sweet Shoppe. You can see how much she loves "tandy" in these photos taken by my sister, Jennifer's, friend Sally Kent in Nashville. Happy birthday, sweet girl!

Missing the Feast

I began the day with such high hopes. I rose early and dressed quickly for church. Our pantry was nearly bare, so I woke the children a little early. I gave them twenty minutes to dress and brush their teeth before heading out to a restaurant for breakfast -- a rare Sunday morning treat! I looked forward to sitting peacefully together for a moment, and my mouth watered thinking of the sumptuous buffet that awaited us.

The children needed to get ready quickly to enjoy breakfast out, but instead they wrestled. They fought. They yelled and misplaced shoes. I was so disappointed. I knew the children would need stamina to make it through our busy day, but they barely had time to eat a bite before dashing out the door. Now their tummies would groan and their heads would ache, and the day would be much more difficult for everyone. I was so sad because I had wanted to give them a feast, but instead they chose crumbs.

Our hectic morning weighed heavily on me as I sat in Bible class, but gradually my frustration faded as we talked about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. I began to see parallels between our morning and the story unfolding in Mark 14. Jesus knew His crucifixion was imminent in this passage, so He took Peter, James and John with Him to the garden to pray. He knew they needed to prepare for the frightening times ahead. But instead of praying, the disciples fell asleep. So when temptation came, they fled. They denied Him. They cursed and swore. Then their spirits groaned and their hearts ached because they weren't ready.

Looking at the disciples, I realized that I too had missed a sumptuous buffet this morning. Although I prepared my body for worship, I didn't really prepare my heart. I neglected prayer and Bible study when I awoke, so I wasn't ready when temptation came. When the children disobeyed me, I wrestled with anger. I fought back tears. I raised my voice and lost my joy. I'm sure my Father knew that I would need patience this morning and hoped I would begin my day with feasting, but instead I chose crumbs.

I am thankful that even when we become spiritually malnourished, God is a loving Father who cares for our souls. Jesus promises, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6 NIV). A lavish buffet awaits. Let's go to the feast!

Christian Lawyer

Joe is out of town this weekend to coach the law school's trial teams in their national competition. Six-year-old Christian must be missing him, because he woke me this morning dressed in a suit. He said he wants to look like Dad and work at the law school. "Maybe they will think I'm Dad's brother dressed like this!" he said hopefully.

When Joe called this morning to report that the field has been narrowed to four and both his trial teams are still competing, I was elated! I knew his new colleague would want to know right away, so I immediately exclaimed, "Guess what? Daddy just called, and both his teams won again! They are still in the competition!"

This news was met with cheers from all the children, but then Christian looked perplexed. He wrinkled his face and tilted his head as he considered just who he was cheering for. "Wait a minute," he began. "Does this mean Auburn and ... er ... the ... New York Giants?"

P.S. I guess Christian was right, after all. Both trial teams fought like Tigers, and now they feel like Giants after finishing first in their regional competition this afternoon. Now they move on to Nationals!

Cleaning House

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10 NASB).

This week I'm cleaning house. Those who know me understand that housework is not my strong suit. I can easily abandon a stack of dirty dishes in favor of a creative project that seems much more important at the time, like adding a decorative paint treatment to the laundry room. And although I feel energized by my house when it is fresh and clean, the constant focus required to keep it up brings me down. But all around me my house seems to cry out to be picked up, swept, dusted and scrubbed.

So this week I'm cleaning, and I'm starting with my heart. First, I must banish the negative feelings of dread, boredom and frustration that often accompany housework. From Luke 10:41-42, Jesus' voice gently reminds me, "[Y]ou are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed" (NIV). If I strive to approach my housework with Martha's hands and Mary's heart, maybe I can strike a balance between work and worship. Instead of crying, "Lord, don't you care that [my family] has left me to do the work by myself?" as Martha did in verse 40, I can realize that I am never alone because God is always with me. Even while I work, I can sing hymns or talk to God. And with prayerfulness, I can replace grouchiness with thankfulness and grumbling with praise.

Next on my to-do list is tackling clutter, both in my house and in my mind. It seems that everywhere I look, there is a pile of papers to sort, a basket of clean laundry to put away, or a messy drawer to reorganize. Unfortunately for me, avoiding clutter won't make it go away. So each time I pass by or step over a mess without dealing with it, I become distracted making mental notes of yet another task that needs to be done. As I declutter my house, I must contemplate whether I am stepping over areas of worry, unforgiveness or sinfulness in my spiritual life. Just like a disorganized house, allowing negative thoughts to clutter my mind robs me of peace. But Philippians 4:8 reminds me to focus on my blessings: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things" (NASB).

Finally, as I clean house, I am forced to address my human frailties. My aching back reminds me often that the burdens I carry are too heavy for me to bear alone. Honest introspection reveals that I often feel overworked because I do for my family tasks they should do for themselves. In order to avoid resistance or frustration, it may seem easier in the short-term to take care of chores myself. But when I expend energy and time doing the work of others, I neglect the tasks that only I can do -- one of which is helping my children grow into responsible, helpful, mature adults. And in trying to do it all myself, I deprive my children of the blessings that come from learning to work together as a family.

This desire to be self-sufficient weighs me down spiritually, as well, as I can always think of a reason not to rely on my spiritual family when I am in need. Fearful that I might burden or inconvenience someone else, it usually seems more sensible to fill a need myself than to ask for help. But this is not God's plan. As 1 Corinthians 12:18 reminds me, "But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired." The body functions best when all the members work together, with Christ as the head. And He is always ready to carry my load. "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest," He soothes in Matthew 11:28-30. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

So I'm cleaning house this week. Once toys, books and papers have been put away; floors have been swept, mopped and vacuumed; kitchen and bathrooms have been scrubbed and sanitized -- this house will shine! For a little while. Then little hands will scatter toys and busy feet will track in dirt. And I will find myself restoring order to our home again because this world is temporal. But when it comes to my spiritual house, how thankful I am to be cleansed with living water. The blood of Jesus washes over, purifies and transforms me, making me white as snow. Now that's a house cleaning that I can get excited about.

Oh, Fill My Cup

Last weekend's ladies retreat with the Wetumpka Church of Christ was a wonderful experience. We spent Friday night and Saturday at the scenic 4-H Retreat Center near Clanton. One of the blessings of participating in these ladies events is being reminded that wherever we travel, if God's people are there, we can always have a home. We can feel secure wherever we roam, knowing we have family waiting for us there. This weekend was really special, though, because I met sisters who are also neighbors. I look forward to running into them around town, catching up at church functions, and deepening relationships in each other's homes.

The ladies of the Wetumpka Church surprised me at the end of the retreat with a lovely gift box. Inside I found the makings of a great tea party: the antique teapot pictured and matching creamer, cups and saucers; a lovely sugar bowl with crystallized sugar and spoon; gingersnap cookies and two flavors of tea. When I returned home Saturday afternoon, the children were so excited to help me unpack the box. Discovering so many treasures inspired an impromptu tea party. My heart was light as we gathered in the sitting room to share details of our weekend over a cup of tea. Reflecting on the blessings of the weekend -- from sharing the drive to the retreat with a friend; to meeting new sisters who are also neighbors; to studying God's Word together; to savoring this happy reunion with my family -- I smiled realizing that my cup truly overflows.

Put on a Pedestal

This easy craft project is one of my favorites from my Christian Woman column because it is quick and simple. To make a footed cake plate like the one pictured, start with a plate and bowl. If using patterned dishes, make sure the bowl will look good turned upside down. I found lime green plates and bowls at a dollar store. Paired with different colored ribbons, this inexpensive cake plate could put dessert on a pedestal at every occasion from Valentine's Day to Christmas.

To make a cake plate, lightly sand the bottom of your bowl. Run a bead of glue around the bottom of the bowl. You will need to use a solvent like E-6000 that will bond ceramics. Turn your plate over, and adhere the bowl to the center of the plate. Set the project aside for the glue to dry, according to package directions. Then top the finished cake plate with candles, fruit or dessert.

I made this cake plate as a door prize for this weekend's ladies retreat with the Wetumpka Church of Christ. We will be talking about the blessings of Christian frienship. I love practical ideas that can inspire us to reach out to someone else. Something as simple as a pretty cake stand might inspire us to deliver a cake to a new neighbor or invite a friend over for lunch.

I'm also hoping that this project will remind us to put the people in our lives on a pedestal. Not in the sense of making them infallible or unapproachable, but in giving them a special place in our hearts. In their book The Gift of Honor, John Trent and Gary Smalley say, "Honor is a decision we make to place high value, worth and importance on another person by viewing him or her as a priceless gift and granting him or her a position in our lives worthy of great respect; and love involves putting that decision into action" (p. 280). And just like making a cake plate to showcase favorite desserts, putting those we love on a pedestal brings sweet rewards.