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Just a Little While
February 2, 1939 - January 29, 2007
I wanted to let everyone know that my mother passed from this world to be with her Father in heaven yesterday morning. I thank all of you who wrote to say you were praying for her and for those who didn't write, but were praying anyway. Please pray for my family as we will be taking what looks to be a rather long drive in bad weather on Thursday. I am going to be taking a little break from blogging over the next week or two as the girls and I will be spending that time with my father. Please keep him in your prayers as he was my mother's sole caretaker and his life completely revolved around tending to her needs. He is lost without her there to focus his attentions on. I will be back, dear friends. God bless you all.
John 16:16
The First Snow-Fall
THE SNOW had begun in the gloaming,
And busily all the night
Had been heaping field and highway
With a silence deep and white.
Every pine and fir and hemlock
Wore ermine too dear for an earl,
And the poorest twig on the elm-tree
Was ridged inch deep with pearl.
From sheds new-roofed with Carrara
Came Chanticleer's muffled crow,
The stiff rails softened to swan's-down,
And still fluttered down the snow.
I stood and watched by the window
The noiseless work of the sky,
And the sudden flurries of snow-birds,
Like brown leaves whirling by.
I thought of a mound in sweet Auburn
Where a little headstone stood;
How the flakes were folding it gently,
As did robins the babes in the wood.
Up spoke our own little Mabel,
Saying, "Father, who makes it snow?"
And I told of the good All-father
Who cares for us here below.
Again I looked at the snow-fall,
And thought of the leaden sky
That arched o'er our first great sorrow,
When that mound was heaped so high.
I remembered the gradual patience
That fell from that cloud like snow,
Flake by flake, healing and hiding
The scar that renewed our woe.
And again to the child I whispered,
"The snow that husheth all,
Darling, the merciful Father
Alone can make it fall!"
Then, with eyes that saw not, I kissed her;
And she, kissing back, could not know
That my kiss was given to her sister,
Folded close under deepening snow.
James Russell Lowell
These Are Some of My Favorite T-Things
I was asked if I would like to participate in a meme by Rose over at World Outside My Window. Technically I was supposed to ask her to assign me a letter of the alphabet and then I was to name ten things that I "love" that begin with that particular letter. I decided to go ahead and use the letter assigned to her, though, since it dovetailed so nicely with my Thursday Thirteen assignment. If anyone wants me to send them a letter, though, feel free to leave a request in the comments section. Here we go!
1. Tea. Hot with sugar and milk.
2. Thermal underwear
3. Tide with bleach. In my humble opinion, the best laundry detergent.
4. Boston Terriers
5. Two-year-olds. I don't think they're terrible at all.
6. Tire swings. Although, I can't really swing on them now that I only wear dresses.
7. Thrift stores
8. Coconut Jam Tarts
9. Watching the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! with my husband on rainy Saturday afternoons.
10. Tulip trees
11. The book To Kill a Mockingbird
12. Turnips & carrots
13. Truth
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Bad Banjo!
This is what a bad dog does when you think that he is too short to jump up on a very tall bed.
Thank you, Secret Sis!
I signed up for a "Secret Sister" through Training Hearts and got my first care package in the mail Saturday. At first, I thought the package must be for the entire month of February, but now I am not sure since everything was wrapped up in one box. When I opened the package that came in the mail, I found a sweet note card in an envelope and a package wrapped in wrapping paper. I unwrapped the package to find this lovely box:
My girls were quite envious, but I immediately found the perfect purpose for such a box as this. I put all my note cards, envelopes, and stamps in it. This wasn't exactly a stroke of genius since my secret sister had already put a nice package of note cards in the box. I'm not going to show them here in case I absent-mindedly send one to the secret sister assigned to me. Better safe than sorry.
Along with the note cards, though, were candles in my favorite scents.
The box smelled heavenly when I opened it up. The candles are scented "Cinnamon Stick", "Farmhouse Apple", and "Mom's Apple Pie". I can't decide which one to burn first. I think it will be "Mom's Apple Pie". Thank you so much, secret sister of mine. I feel very blessed to have such a thoughtful friend out there praying for me.
Where the Wild Things Grow
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XXV THE MUSHROOM is the elf of plants, -Emily Dickinson |
Apparently, the "wild things" grow in my yard. I found this growing in my yard last summer. A two-headed little beasty. Is there anyone out there who can tell me what type of fungal creature this is?
Jigsaw Puzzle
Can you guess what I am?
Technology
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I had to think about this week's theme, "Technology". We have a lot of gadgets around here that I could have taken pictures of, but I tend to dislike taking photos of gadgetry. I also kept trying to consider carefully what really brings joy to our home. The piece of technology that brings me the most joy would have to be our Yamaha DGX500 digital keyboard. I don't know how to play any musical instrument or even how to read music, but my girls have been taking lessons for years. This makes me very happy because they will have the gift of music to share with others throughout their lives. Moments like this make my day.
(Just between the two of us, though, the kitchen appliances and the washer and dryer all weighed heavily in my considerations.)
Firefly Chapter 3
1. I really can't stand to be cold and I am especially not fond of February through March or indoor places that prefer for it to feel like February when the temperature outside is a perfectly acceptable 75-85 degrees.
2. I adore warm spring days especially when I can find a patch of sun and throw down a blanket in the grass to nap upon.
3. I can't stand to wear anything binding about my waist. I have always found pants and especially jeans horribly uncomfortable.
4. My favorite dresses have pleats at the waist and not gathers. Elasticized waists are out of the question. They don't seem to know their rightful place about my waist.
5. I can't stand hair in my face. My hair tends to fall forward giving me a Cousin It appearance and bangs bother me. I am very content wearing my hair up in a bun.
6. I deal daily in Boston Terrier emissions. Banjo makes up for it, though, as a radiant lap warmer.
7. I spend my days with two girls who are presently competing to see who can sing "la" the longest and the loudest. Clara appears to be winning.
8. I am always hovering between wanting a best friend and wanting to be left alone. A best friend is hard work. A friendship like that requires a large emotional investment (not to mention quite an investment of time). Of course, lacking a best friend often leaves me lonesome. And yet I like being alone. Whatever shall I do?
9. I think that sometimes when one has a family and a church family, one's life is full enough without having a best friend. God fills the gaps. There's no better investment of emotion and time than in Him.
10. Today is the day our Christmas tree is coming down. Before it takes root.
11. Don't poke your eyes out because you had to see another Christmas picture. It's okay. It's coming down. Really.
12. My favorite holiday is Easter even though we don't celebrate it in the church. We prefer to celebrate Christ risen every day of the year and not tie it to one specific day of the year. I still like the idea of a day to celebrate spring, though. After having made it through February and March, I feel much blessed when spring arrives.
13. If I don't get off of here right now, my husband will be very disappointed to see the tree still decorated and standing in our living room and I might have to post another picture of it, so I bid you farewell!
4:40 Update: Ding! Dong! The tree is gone! Yippee!
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Hits & Misses
As we begin the New Year 2007, let's look at what were our Hits & Misses for 2006. This could include anything at in your life. Perhaps you tried a new curriculum, a different approach to discipline, a new cookbook, a better (or worse) way to organize your time. Maybe, you joined a new group, or tried a new class.The assignment for this week is make a List of "HITS" and a List of "MISSES"!
Extra Credit (from Training Hearts Mom): Take your favorite Homeschool item and write Raving Review! Be sure to share from the heart and be honest. In your review include the 5 W's and the H...Who, What, Where, Why and How!
As I was writing down a list of what I consider the "hits" and "misses" of my life this past year, I realized that for every hit there seemed to be a somewhat related miss. It suddenly just jumped out at me while I was looking at the list. While I don't think some of them are directly related; some of them definitely are. So here they are.
| Hits | Misses |
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1. Our new puppy Banjo 2. Dressing more modestly 3. Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History 4. Headcovering 5. Our new bed 6. My new kitchen |
1. Spending time with my girls 2. Reading my Bible 3. Wise Up! Wisdom in Proverbs 4. Pleasing my husband (a.k.a. keeping up with the housework) 5. Getting on a good sleep schedule 6. Cooking better meals more often |
Now I shall explain.
Numbers One
On January 5th of 2006 our sweet little Boston Terrier was born and we were able to bring him home in early March. Banjo has turned out to be a wonderful addition to our family. He's been a breeze to housebreak and has such a good temperament. God has really blessed our family with this puppy. On the other hand, I have had a strong desire to spend more time with my girls and feel like I haven't done as well as I possibly could have this past year. This is not because I have given all of my attentions to Banjo, but it did seem superficially related when I was drawing up my list. It is a hard thing to explain to non-homeschooling moms how you can spend just about each and every hour of your waking day with your children and still feel like you haven't spent time with them. I miss the days when they were younger and schoolwork didn't seem as pressing. Now that Lily is in high school and I have to think about what her transcript will ultimately look like, I suddenly miss the days of tent-building in the middle of our living room and of paper dolls. I want to play games with my girls and read to them. I find myself resenting the shadow "college" has cast over our days.
Numbers Two
Now this year I have had a good deal of success and satisfaction in dressing modestly. I am far more comfortable in dresses and I feel like it has been a blessing in my life. On the other hand, I have felt like a failure at spending more time in God's word. When writing up this list, I realized that, as satisfying as it may be to be dressing modestly, it is a small thing compared to keeping nigh unto God. It almost makes me feel like a hypocrite. I feel like a beautiful vase that remains empty.
Numbers Three
This year I decided to pull out a Bible curriculum that I bought a couple of years ago for Lily, but decided wasn't really for her. I thought, for some bizarre reason, that I should give it a try with Clara. It is a very nice study of Proverbs, but it is a workbook. We don't like workbooks. We really, really don't like workbooks. So, after several attempts at using this curriculum, I dug out our Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History and asked Clara if she would like to snuggle up and read the Bible with me. She agreed that this would be a great thing and we are all very glad.
Numbers Four
For several years now I have felt like I should wear a headcovering. Nobody in our congregation wears a headcovering, so whenever I questioned 1 Corinthians 11, everyone would say they thought that a woman's hair was the covering mentioned in those verses or that it no longer applies to modern day Christians. I kept having a nagging feeling that that wasn't enough. I read and reread this scripture and studied the Greek words that were being translated until I understood that God wanted me to wear a headcovering. I do not bind this on other women. This is between me and my God. I do not think that women who do not wear a headcovering will not have their prayers answered. I don't think it is a salvation issue. I just feel like it is an issue I needed to address in my life. I started wearing a headcovering in the spring of 2006 and have felt many blessings come from having chosen to do so. It has made me more aware of my place in God's plan for my marriage. I can see how it has changed my heart attitude in many ways. The other side of this though, the "miss", is that I know perfectly well what pleases my husband and I continue to neglect those things. I know that he is happiest when we have a tidy home and I am in the bad habit of letting things slide around here. I want to work on that this year.
Numbers Five
I have been having sleep problems for quite some time. I know that I need good rest and that I can let my sleep schedule get completely turned around in a matter of days because I tend to be a night owl. My beloved husband took me out shopping for a new bed this summer since we had been sleeping on the same one for twelve years. He felt that a new bed would help to alleviate some of my sleep problems. He had me lie down on several mattresses until I picked the perfect one. I felt like the princess in The Princess and the Pea. I have never slept on a mattress such as this. It is absolutely dreamy. It was a hit, for sure. Getting myself on a regular sleep schedule, however, has been a terrible miss. It is after one in the morning as I type this.
Numbers Six
Now you are going to wonder how I ever came into such a blessing with my husband when I tell you this. After living in our home for ten years and having to cook in a kitchen that was fifty years old, my husband took me out to pick all new everything for my kitchen. New cupboards and cabinets to replace the cupboards with doors that were falling off of their hinges and drawers that were without fronts. A new counter top to replace the one with cracks running through it and awful black, bubbled burn marks on it. And, no, I didn't create these horrific burns. He even got a new stove with a convection oven and a microwave above the stove and a new refrigerator. And a new sink and a garbage disposal and...Okay, I will stop now. I got a brand new kitchen because my husband loves me like no other man could ever even come close to trying. And, for several months, I cooked like I had never cooked before. I discovered Allrecipes.com and never have to wonder how to cook another piece of meat again. At some point, though, I quit. I am not sure why. So the kitchen was a hit and my cooking turned into a miss.
So there you have it. My wonders and blunders of 2006. I suppose I could use the "misses" to create a nice little New Year's resolution list. I've never made a New Year's resolution list before. What do you think?
Overdue Books Update
Since Mama Squirrel was able to be so humble as to admit her floundering with this challenge, I feel that I, too, must 'fess up.
I can say that I joyously finished Northanger Abbey after dragging it out for over a month. Heavens! I was thoroughly glad to be done with this book. I love Jane Austen, but this book has to be her one awful book. I felt like I was at our local shopping mall frustrated from making any progress by a walking wall of young teenage girls ahead of me. Yes, a walking wall. You know what I am talking about. When the group ahead of you or, even worse, coming towards you all walk side-by-side causing you to either stroll slowly behind them or play chicken to see who will move out of the way first when headed toward you. Did I ever tell you how much I hate shopping malls? Anyway, back to our story.
The entire first half of Northanger Abbey is precisely like walking behind a gaggle of young teenage girls who appear to be of very little brain and have very little supervision. They spend their time talking about clothes, boys, silly books and more boys. They are parading around the mall, er, dancing hall giggling to themselves and continually passing by the young man working at the sporting goods store while pretending not to notice him.
Catherine, the "heroine" of this book, while being quite naive is a good sort of girl. She never seems to develop into anything more than that, though. The character that caught my interest was that of John Thorpe. If I could have reached through the pages and turned him into a possum, I would have. He would then have been just as vile a creature, but of no consequence to Catherine or me, for that matter. I am not sure if he upset me more or if Catherine's naivete around him annoyed me more. Needless to say, I don't particularly like to spend half a book being increasingly annoyed by a character.
The second half of the book was spent at Northanger Abbey. There we find Catherine in a chapter of one of her own Gothic novels. I thought maybe things would get interesting there at the Abbey, but the only thing that got interesting was Catherine's wild imagination. It was so obvious that her imaginings had no basis in reality that it was as if the novel had been padded with fluff that further impeded me from finishing it.
When the book finally came to its tidy ending, all I can say is that I was much relieved. And, after having been to Bath and Northanger Abbey for much of the novel, Catherine's home was a much more cozy place to be. I could actually feel the warmth of the home with very little in the way of description of it. I'm glad it ended there. I felt entirely exhausted from the trip.
The second book I read was Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America by Jeff Pollard. This was a quick read and I was glad for it after trudging through my first book. The book's premise is that the bathing suit industry has led us all into a state of comfort with being nearly naked in public. As someone who strives to dress modestly, I have to say that I could not really argue with anything that was stated in this book. I do wish that it had been fleshed out a bit more. (Pun only partially not intended.) Having said that, though, I do believe the author accomplished what he set out to do. It is a scripturally sound book that examines the bathing suit industry's impact on our culture and seeks to examine what Christian modesty truly is while realizing that it does go beyond mere apparel. I will be reading The Beauty of Modesty: Cultivating Virtue in the Face of a Vulgar Culture by David J. Vaughan soon and hope that it will give me a little more to satisfy my appetite for this subject matter.
So, I have two books down and have started on my third, My Antonia by Willa Cather. So far, it has caught my interest. Let's hope it continues to do so. I believe I have until the end of the month to finish two and a half more books. I will do my best.
Lonely Winter Nights
I am sending out a prayer request to those of you out there who are thus minded. I have been having a terrible time trying to sleep and I am not sure why. As many of you may already know, I gravitate towards being a night owl, but I have not been able to sleep normally for the past month.
Lately, a typical cycle will be for me to spend several days in a row without any sleep except for a two to three hour nap I take in the mid-morning. I can't seem to sleep at night at all during this part of the cycle and sometimes don't even feel like taking the mid-morning nap! After several days of this, I feel exhausted and end up going to bed between seven and nine o'clock in the evening and sleeping until seven to ten o'clock the next morning. Most often I feel like I could continue sleeping all day.
So, it seems to be either feast of famine around here. I love those evenings when I am sleepy and I can curl up in bed with a good book and read for about thirty minutes before dropping off to sleep. I am really praying that, with God's help, I will be able to go to bed around nine-thirty and read for about thirty minutes and go to sleep by ten. Then I would like to be able to wake up by seven.
In the meantime, I remain puzzled. And, to be honest, I don't even sleep well when I do sleep. I toss and turn and feel overheated or achy all night. This is having a serious impact on my daily life. So, again, I ask for your prayers, advice and any Bible verses you think might be applicable.
Presents vs. Presence
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- Burton Hillis
1. 8 large white bath towels
2. 8 white hand towels
3. 8 white washcloths
4. 4 white king-sized pillow cases
5. 1 warm throw blanket with matching "napping pillow" and "napping socks"
6. 1 leather-bound Thompson's Chain-Reference Bible (KJV)
7. 4 beautiful modest dresses
8. 1 set of Jane Austen novels, Sanditon by Jane Austen and "Another Lady", and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
9. 1 good book on learning to crochet, 2 books on crochet stitches and 1 book on knitting techniques
10. 1 set of crochet hooks & dark blue and black yarn
11. The A&E Literary Classics - Romance Collection Megaset (DVDs) which includes Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Victoria & Albert, Tom Jones, Jane Eyre, Lorna Doone, Ivanhoe, and The Scarlet Pimpernel)
12. 1 happy family
13. 1 good nap
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Fresh Towels
I've been washing my Christmas presents today.
"Forgiveness is the answer to the child's dream of a miracle by which
what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is made clean again."
- Dag Hammarskjold
