Janet's Blog

What a wonderful gift she is, little Evelyn Marie Stobel, born on December 18 at 4:41 a.m., just in time for Christmas.  Big brother Tobin's footprint and hand prints decorate the shirt she wore on Christmas Day.  The above picture does a pretty good job of showing what Evie is like.  So far, she sleeps a lot, cries only a little, looks around with her big blue eyes.  She is usually content, and that is a good thing.   Evelyn was born a little later than expected, but she was definitely worth waiting for.  She looks quite a bit like Tobin, and a lot like her mother's baby pictures.  She weighed 6 lbs. 6 oz. and measured 20 1/4 inches shortly after birth.  At her first check-up this week, she weighed 6 lbs.13 oz. and had stretched out to 21 1/2 inches in length.  Evelyn has long arms and fingers, and long legs and toes.  She is growing quickly, probably because she nurses so efficiently. I have been told that Meagan and Andy finally settled on her name on Thanksgivi

Janet Bauer, 2013 We thank You, dear Lord, this day of Your birth, For leaving Your throne to come down to the Earth. Oh, Babe in the manger, be with us, we pray, Grant all that we need to sustain us this day. We thank You for food and for family, too, But most of all, Jesus, we're thankful for You. We celebrate, Lord, this day of Your birth, That You came to rescue your people on Earth. Oh, Jesus, Messiah, be with us, we pray, We need Your forgiveness and mercy each day. We sing with the multitudes praising above. We can't live without You; We rest in Your love. We can't pay You back for blessings untold, We can't bring You frankincense, myrrh, or fine gold; We only have thanks for You, Jesus, our King. We raise up glad voices, in harmony sing. Oh, Jesus, Redeemer, for all that You do, Oh, Babe in the manger, we're thankful for You. Yes, most

When they were still teenagers, my Dad gave Mom a beautiful, blue music box, with a ballerina that spins to the music. As a young child, it was a special treat for me to wind that music box and watch the ballerina dance.  For a long time, that was the only music box we had.  Then, over time, Mom began to collect music boxes.  I'm not sure that she really intended to acquire such a large collection, but family members started giving them to her for special occasions after they realized how much she liked music boxes. I don't collect music boxes, but I love them, too, just as my mother does.  As I was searching for music boxes on the internet recently, I was surprised that I couldn't find very many true music boxes.  Most contemporary music boxes are really snow globes that must be shaken to produce "snow," then wound to play the music.  Some of them are incredibly tacky, and some are exquisitely beautiful but, no matter what, they don

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite Christmas carols was "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful."  I loved to hear the organist play the majestic melody as the congregation raised their voices, over and over again, for that mighty refrain, "Oh, come let us adore Him."  I was intrigued whenever I heard the Latin version, Adeste Fideles , and was thrilled when I was finally able to sing along in Latin.  " Venite Adoramus, Dominum ; Come, let us adore the Lord."  Somehow, those Latin lyrics made the hymn seem even more majestic, if that was possible.  To me, this hymn was an essential part of any Christmas celebration, because it called each one of us to come and worship Jesus, who was born to be our Savior and King. Years later, I was excited to hear a new Christmas song on the radio.  "Come On, Ring those Bells" was contemporary, through and through--a great contrast to the old Christmas carols I knew and cherished--but I loved that new Christma

Right now, the whole country seems to be laboring under a burden of doom and gloom.  Many citizens are extremely frustrated with our president's questionable decisions and with the stagnation of the U.S. Congress.  People are uncertain about our country's economy and its new health care laws.  Some people need jobs and adequate housing.  Many mourn the deaths of friends or family members or celebrities.  Even our favorite football teams suffer from lackluster performance. I can sense the mounting depression that envelopes our nation.  Too many people have no hope. Yet now, in early December, whether we like it or not, we are plunging into the Christmas season.  Worldly worries threaten to ruin the coming festivities.  Still, we have to shop, wrap gifts, decorate, bake, address cards, attend holiday programs and parties, make travel plans.  There is just too much to do, at a time when many people just don't feel like celebrating. Thousands of years ago, the prophet Isa