Coffee Tea Books and Me

Cake pops and birthday parties

2012-01-26T10:05:00.000-05:00

I have an entire day before me when there is nothing scheduled, nothing at all... except a quick trip to Menard's to return the plumbing items which were not needed. I guess that is something. But I like going to Menard's. ;)

Yes, my sinuses have been giving me problems. I have been SO nauseous with this crazy weather, not to mention my head pounding at times. Taking Benedryl all day helps a lot but can make one drowsy. The non-drowsy formula doesn't work as well for me. Christopher took two Benedryl on Tuesday evening and slept for sixteen hours, missing his Latin class!

It's not uncommon in the Midwest to have up and down temps but I don't remember the last time it was such a roller coaster ride for weeks and weeks... and weeks.

I have some writing which must be done, e-mails to answer, snail mails still waiting, soup to get started, and cup cakes (or cuppycakes as Cookie Monster calls them) to bake and practice icing with the pastry bag.

All of which need long periods of home time. It's looking like that is going to happen now... God willing and the creek don't rise! That's how I can accomplish more with a chronic illness. When I'm away from home a lot, I'm often too exhausted to even think by the time I get back and I'm afraid a blog post would look something like... io#rhi opa*etel.

Birthdays were always a big thing at our home but Stephanie surpassed my efforts long ago. Some readers know she has a degree in Interior Design from the University. I love how she uses her God given talents to make her home a special place to live (and visit!).

In her post, she shares about Elisabeth's party but also what she has learned about making cake pops... here. I wish I had been there!

I really am here!

2012-01-25T15:09:00.002-05:00

Just popping in to tell you I'm alive!

Gosh, life has been way too busy. I spent the weekend working on wedding plans (addressing and stamping Save the Date cards), yesterday morning I was at the retinal specialist's office for hours, and we had plumbers here today.

Combine that with what this up and down weather is doing to my head and I have not had time to write.

The picture above is of the cupcakes and cakepops Stephanie made for Miss E.'s birthday party. I'll put a link up to her blog when she writes about it. She's hoping to write very soon.

She uses that vintage-antique ironing board as a buffet table! I think it's adorable...

Picture: Stephanie's house... link to follow soon!

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2012-01-22T04:00:00.000-05:00

"You would watch him reading the phone book!" That is what my family has said about my affection for Chef Jacques Pepin. I'm afraid it is true as I was watching him cook fish and I don't even like fish very much (with the exception of breaded and fried catfish!).

However, this past week I was watching his new PBS series called Essential Pepin and had a Eureka moment which led to today's ponderings. I was remembering the discovery long ago that the food I enjoyed in fancy restaurants was no different than what was sold at my neighborhood grocery store... mixed with techniques which could be learned.

What followed was the addition of cookbooks and cooking lessons and many (many) delightful Saturday afternoons perusing my favorite gourmet store in Saugatuck, Michigan. This was all B.C. (before Christopher) when there were but three of us... a Mom, a Dad, and a delightful little girl.

When Stephanie and I experienced the amazingly wonderful cooking class-gourmet dinner at Colonial Williamsburg, the chef had begun his cooking career at one of the favorite restaurants in Michigan which inspired my love of cooking (what a small world!).

So, what does all of this have to do with my week's ponderings? Well, when I was stretched out on the living room sofa with a fluffy kitty and a cup of coffee (for it was the early morning hours)... I was thinking how life is a lot like that. We are all given basic gifts and it is what we add to them, how we use them that creates something lovely... or not.

Jacques was making the most delicious looking dinner with a monk fish... a fish who in the water has a face only a mother could love. I mean, this is one ugly fish. But when prepared properly, it is delicious (I have cooked it long ago with a recipe called "poor man's lobster").

Sometimes my circumstances remind me of that fish. Sometimes they are not very pretty. But it is what I do with those circumstances that creates a life that is lovely or one that looks a lot like that fish... just ugly.

It is my choice to take what I have with Thanks. To accept unexpected gifts with love as if from Him. When I can't do what I want... I thank Him for what I can do. When the money doesn't stretch to cover all desires... I thank Him that I have what I need.

I am His creation and the work of His hands. Jesus is that Master Chef... only He can use the ingredients set before Him to create a person worthy of presenting to the Father. It is when I stomp my feet and whimper and wail and snivel and have a fit that I tie even the eternal God's hands and he cannot create within me something of Beauty.

He wants to create within me: Love... Joy... Peace... Patience... Kindness... Goodness... Faithfulness... Gentleness... and Self Control (Galations 5:22-23).

While I cannot always choose my circumstances, I can choose how I react to those circumstances... and I can make a mess or a masterpiece. I think I'll take my lessons from Jacques and turn the ugly fish into a gourmet delight.

Come Saturday morning...

2012-01-21T10:59:00.001-05:00

Do you remember that song? "Come Saturday morning, I'm going away with my friend..."?

It is one of those when you get it in your mind, it stays there all day. Um... sorry about that.

Anyway, I wanted to show you what Saturday morning was like in my world today. We had a mixture of snow and sleet.

The first picture I snapped with only my hand and the camera out the front door. Brrrr... The above picture was taken when I went out to see if my newspaper had made it out to the country.

My neighbor's farm looked lovely in the snow!

Not a lot of traffic, is there?

Miss Victoria was able to watch her favorite TV show this morning.

It is called Wild America.

She especially loves the show when it is about birds,

in this case duckies.

She needed a closer look.

After such a frustrating hunt, she is now stretched out on the back of the sofa getting a long deserved snooze.

A probably partial list of favorite books in 2011

2012-01-19T11:06:00.000-05:00

A corner of my living room

Since I never found the notebook where I wrote down everything I was reading, I had to depend on going through last year's blog posts to get an idea of favorites. I know I missed something!

I am not including any books I re-read. It was interesting skimming through the posts of summer and autumn as I read less and what I did read was mostly re-reading.

That included the time period from the month of the lightening strike and subsequent gas leak until we were able to get some resemblance of "normal" a few months later. I think my brain was fried, along with the house!

Favorite books are listed from the beginning of the year through to December. You will notice that most of the fiction favorites I read last year are not listed.

I needed old friends to re-read instead and everything on this list are those I read for the first time. I also did not include cookbooks or gardening books.

Fiction

The Twelfth Imam (Winter) and The Tehran Initiative (Autumn) by Joel Rosenberg
This is Joel's newest series of end times adventure novels. Basically... imagine The Twelfth Imam appears to have returned, Iran gets the nuclear bomb, and America is under attack internally.

I don't know why I've always had a thing for "the end of the world as we know it" disaster movies and books but I do.

Vittoria Cottage and Music In the Hills by D. E. Stevenson
Imagine a story set in a small English Village and continued (for one or two of the characters in the previous book) in Scottish farmland. Charming story... believable characters... took me away from it all for awhile.

Henrietta's House by Elizabeth Goudge
Henrietta's dream is to have a house of her own where everyone she loves most can be together. When her friends and family get together for a birthday picnic for Hugh Anthony, most of them end up lost in a new part of the woods where adventures and magic (Narnia magic so to speak) happen.

Non-Fiction

Marriage to a Difficult Man: The Uncommon Union of Jonathon & Sarah Edwards by Elisabeth Dodds
Excellent biography which is mostly about the marriage and family life of the Edwards family but also gives the reader insight into pre-Revolutionary War New England.

I came away wanting to know even more about Jonathon Edwards and his teaching. I also realized why it is said there would have been no Jonathon without Sarah (which meant in her role as wife and mother, she helped to start the famous revival called the "first Great Awakening" in America).

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Ann (of the Holy Experience blog) writes the story of the tragedy in her life which led to her being a self described "mess" and then the simple action God had her take to bring healing and joy to her life. She shares how we can do the very same simple steps to bring joy into our lives. Ann's prose reads like poetry.

Walking On Water: Reflections on Faith & Art by Madeleine L'Engle
In this book, Madeleine shares very personal insights and experiences regarding what it is like to be a Christian and an "artist" (in her case, a writer). A book which reminds us we are created in the image of a creative God and we were meant for "art".

The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder through the Seasons by Amanda and Stephen Soule
A lovely little book with pictures and a lot of ideas to show how we can enjoy each season as a family. The book offers many ideas for teaching our children about living closer to nature, crafting, cooking, etc. I skipped the pages about teaching children to meditate, otherwise this is a book one can enjoy reading off and on all year.

Where Women Cook, Celebrate! by the editors of Where Women Cook magazine
This is kind of a cookbook because it has recipes and kind of a book about cooks and kind of a book that tells us how different people hold parties and celebrations. But mostly it is a book filled with fun, letting us peek into the lives and kitchens of all kind of women. I read this book now when I need to brighten my day.

Surprised By Oxford by Carolyn Weber
This is a wonderful book! I loved it so much I had to write Carolyn to tell her. It is the story of a young woman (that being Carolyn, or "Caro" as she is known to friends) who gets a scholarship to study for a graduate degree at Oxford.

It is the story of her life before Oxford, her journey to Christ, the people she met along the way, and her insights and experiences at Oxford. The book is a real autobiography that reads like a novel. I know so many like minded people who would love this book.

Now... I must brew some tea and enjoy watching the snow fall outside my window. In front of me are household chores to do, cooking, dishes soaking, wedding preparations, and a couple snail mail letters to write. I may take a nap instead. ;)

Tea time with Friendly Village

2012-01-18T10:12:00.002-05:00

It has been a long time since I gave the subject of tea time the attention it deserves. It is almost false advertising to keep it part of this blog's title. :)

However... I had to take pictures of a recent solitaire tea time. The small plate really was there for a purpose, to hold a slice of homemade chocolate chip pumpkin bread. But it was so pretty, I took a picture without the bread!

So many people who also love Friendly Village said they use it through the winter, I started doing the same thing. I usually just used it in the autumn and for Thanksgiving. It would also be pretty for Christmas.

Can you see why it reminds me of my neighbor's barn?

I'm really enjoying Season 2 of Downton Abbey. There were one or two scenes I could have done without in the first season but I love the way they brought everything together even though this season takes place two years later.

Each time I see the actual house, I can't help but think it looks like a smaller version of the castle shown on the brown transferware pattern of Old British Castles (which I also adore).

Sigh... I think I need therapy.

A quick followup to MLK, Jr. day...

2012-01-17T16:31:00.001-05:00

Friends don't have to look like us. :)

Feeling literally under the weather today! We were awakened a few times last night with heavy storms going through but even then I was surprised to see the tornado warning icons on the TV screen this morning.

Temperature is dropping all day with snow to move in soon. It is not nice to do such a thing to my head. Yuk... Thankfully, I was able to bake two loaves of chocolate chip pumpkin bread as promised hubby and I'm turning leftover meatloaf into shepherd's pie for dinner (cheating and using instant mashed potatoes but no one notices in this dish).

Just dropping in to add a little to yesterday's post. My husband once asked me why I admire Martin Luther King, Jr. so much. I know he was not a perfect man or minister but my family has a Southern tradition so I grew up knowing racism while it kinda' passed hubby by as he grew up just outside of Chicago. He certainly saw it as a soldier in Viet Nam.

I remember when I saw the first African American person as a child, washing windows at J. C. Penney's. We had just one or two African American students in our large high school (large after three counties were incorporated into one school). It wasn't until I was married and lived near the University that I began to meet people from all races.

But I grew up with... talk. Talk I didn't like. Talk that disturbed my soul. I know there was a huge difference in this country regarding race before and after MLK. I may not be very fond of our current President but I'm thrilled a person of color can hold the office in the same lifetime as one who remembers growing up with... talk. Stupid talk... and pictures of colored only bathrooms and water fountains and sadly... churches.

Racism is far from over, I don't think it ever will be on this side of Eternity for it even fills the Word of God. Mankind doesn't trust men who don't look like him... same for womankind. But it is a lot better than it used to be.

Because we live near a large University, with one of the highest ratios of foreign students in the country... we have a little bit of Heaven on Earth. How? Well, the Bible tells us there will be represented every tribe and nation so we may as well learn to get along now.

For an excellent book about living with racism and overcoming it, I highly recommend Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary, Family and Me. I enjoyed this book very much.

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

2012-01-16T09:42:00.001-05:00

I remember... first John Kennedy. I think everyone my age can remember where they were that day (I was in elementary school). It was the only time I remember seeing my father cry. Then it was Martin. Not too long afterwords... Bobby Kennedy.

The world was falling apart.

(Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States.)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2012-01-15T14:55:00.000-05:00

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;

who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despising the shame,

and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2

This past Christmas season, I met a friend for coffee at Starbucks. She is a young nurse from my church and I was her Senior project (my medical condition is rare enough to make an interesting project).

She's a lovely young woman and we both agreed it had been too long since we'd seen each other. We chatted about what was going on in each of our lives. I was thinking of her again recently because of her comment that I always appear so calm.

I had recently watched a Joni Erickson Tada video (a gift from a lovely friend) where she talked about suffering bringing about faith and trust and... calm. When I told that to my young friend, she thought for a moment and said it was also true of her husband who is a cancer survivor. He rarely lets anything bother him.

I don't know, perhaps sometimes the calm is a "deer in the headlights" reaction to life and those of us who have suffered are more than a little shell shocked? But I don't think that it is it... I think we have had a lot of the bad stuff of life thrown at us and lived through it to see God miraculously at work to bring us out of the deep pit.

Not always with perfect restoration nor a lack of scars. Chemo therapy left her husband unable to have children so part of our Starbucks' chat was about their decision to begin adoption proceedings. (She married him knowing the affects of chemo.)

As for me... my world shrinks a bit more each year as the affects of chronic illness brings with it a world of lack (energy, finances, etc.). I wake up tired. There is so much I want to do but some days even the necessary lags behind. I take advantage of good days to get ahead on gotta do's and wanna do's.

None of us get through this journey without scars to show we've walked the path in a fallen world. As I am constantly reminding my husband, just became it seems as if someone never has a problem in the world does not mean they don't. (Sometimes he has a tendency to think no one has had it worse than him... a tendency of those with melancholic personalities like him and Eeyore.)

When we set our eyes upon others on the journey, we will see those who are better off and those of whom we could (if allowed) look down upon and speculate as to the cause of their unanswered prayers.

Neither is the way we are to live... we are to set our eyes on "the Author and Finisher of our faith". He knows just what to allow in each life.

That is how we stay calm in the storm... when the waves are crashing and the wind is blowing and we can hardly catch a breath because of the winds of adversity... He is calm. He's already seen it all and done it all and overcome it all.

Nothing we are going through has surprised Him. We keep our eyes on Him and we can walk on the raging waves toward the goal without going under.

There is a lot of speculation going on among Christian ministers and the secular press as to what 2012 will bring about. Most of them tend toward the doom and gloom side of the fence but there is a difference.

Those who are keeping their eyes of the Lord may have times of uncertainty and perhaps moments of panic but when we place our eyes back on Him and not the storm... we find that "peace that passes understanding".

I believe the Bible tells us God places us where He wants us... when He wants us... and with the people He wants us to travel through this life. He hasn't made a mistake even if I would love to live in Colonial Williamsburg.

Whatever this year may hold, or the next, or the next... we can rest assured He has it in His hands and we can remain calm. I know there will be tense moments (like when the roads are icy and a loved one is late getting home) but mostly I will be keeping my eyes on Him and seeing His peace to keep on the journey.

Picture: Girlfriends Lunching

This and That

2012-01-14T13:31:00.000-05:00

It would be nice to discuss books and such in overstuffed chairs by a fireplace, sipping seasonal tea. Instead I can only respond via blogdom... sigh.

So pretend we're sharing a cup of tea and a scone while chatting and I'll talk about some comments.

Regarding A Severe Mercy, when I first read it I thought the couple too totally immersed in each other, also. It was so sad knowing how much they loved each other and that she would die fairly young. Having lost my father suddenly as a child, I am very sensitive to writings about death and all.

However, I view it differently as I read it now. I think Vanauken is sharing what a special gift their relationship was from God. It was also interesting how Lewis would have a similar experience... loving one so much and losing them after too few years (from a human standpoint).

I must admit now concentrating my thoughts more on how they came to Christ and their time at Oxford with Lewis and the others. I must read Sheldon Vanauken's lesser known (to me) works... someday.

Regarding Laine's Letters... her main website still exists. If you go... here. The directions about what to click to get her Letters archives, the This Week in My Home archives, and her Recipe archives are at the top of the homepage. I believe what no longer exists is the archives of her mailing group.

I have three file folders of Laine's Letters print offs, mostly printed out as they originally came in over e-mails. I would print them off and then save them to enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea, or something nice and cold in hotter weather.

However, I also took days (one summer I was not busy with homeschooling) and perused all of her letters and "In My Home" e-mails and printed out favorites I didn't have already.

You can still sign up to receive her letters on the website but she only updates every few months or so. They did eventually adopt their little Chinese daughter although it took a few years of disappointments.

Spending time in the archives (beginning in the late 1990s) is time well spent for anyone who loves reading about making a home, good cooking, serving others, etc.

The first Stevenson books I read were the Miss Buncle books, which I thoroughly enjoyed. A lot of people really like her Mrs. Tim books. My very favorite, though, was Vittoria Cottage and the sequel Music In the Hills. I thought Vittoria Cottage a very charming book.

There are many Goudge and Stevenson books yet to read! One of the wonders of reading is the ability to escape to a kinder and gentler time (albeit a world war is rumbling in many English books).

I am so glad my Italian Friar friend (say that three times) Freddie is writing again... here. He is constantly in my prayers regardless but I do enjoy reading about his work for the Lord.

The wonders of Blogdom is bringing us together in this world. :)

Someday there will be no time or space between those of us who love Him... in our various different ways.

I started collecting tea cups long ago, most likely inspired by Emilie Barne's collection in her books and then receiving my first English teacup from a friend at a church we attended long ago.

My brown transferware dish collection began as my tastes changed a bit and I found myself attracted to earth tone colors more. My mother loved to wear and decorate with the color brown, perhaps it makes me think of home?

Vee was right, when you begin to collect certain items... your eye begins seeing them more often. I've been fortunate to live in areas where there were numerous garage sales, thrift stores, and antique malls (which are often easier on the wallet than antique stores can be).

I never intended to actually collect books... they just come home with me as stray animals would if I lived farther out in the country.

For those of you thinking of blogging... stop thinking and start doing. My daughter encouraged me to start blogging and now I'm in my sixth year (and cannot believe it has been that long!).

Believe me, Blogger is a whole lot easier than it was when I first began... when it would often happen that one would write a long post and have it go "poof" (although I did have that happen recently with one of the Decorating posts just before publishing it... gasp).

A little more book talk

2012-01-13T09:54:00.001-05:00

As mentioned yesterday, I have begun re-reading The Dean's Watch by Elizabeth Goudge. It is tied with A City of Bells as my favorite... at least until I re-read Pilgrim's Inn (which was my first Goudge and one always remembers their first love).

I have other Goudge books on the shelf which have not been read and I look at as one would enjoy brightly wrapped gifts under the Christmas tree. I wonder what they hold within.

Someone (I'm sorry I forgot whom) mentioned in comments about reading one of her children's books and how it seems so many wonderful books written for children that adults love are at least forty years old.

I do think Lewis said it best when he said (my paraphrase) that it is a great book one enjoys as a child and at age fifty. One would call Henrietta's House a children's book but not I. I am planning on ordering Goudge's I Saw Three Ships with credit (Stephanie read it to the kids and loved it) and I was given a copy of The Little White Horse, which sits on my To Read Soon stack.

I must admit that many "kid's" books are among my all time favorites. For instance, The Wind in the Willows is magical (Narnia magic) at any age and so is... the Narnia books. I first read A Wrinkle In Time as an adult and it added an entire new dimension (pun intended) of book love to my life. I love the Time books!

But I also thoroughly enjoy the re-reading of my favorite books. Which is why I am re-reading two right now (one I completely forgot about yesterday, how could that happen?). There is something about re-reading favorites that is all warm and cozy, especially when one needs something comforting and familiar.

I say comforting with a book such as The Dean's Watch for with the larger books, when one re-reads we find something new all over again. Then there are those times... especially in the midst of a hot summer when I need to read something quickly... that I love to re-read the lighter books.

It is at times like that when I will slip one of the paperback cozy mysteries I enjoy (especially books like Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries) into a picnic bag along with something cold to drink and a snack.

Then there are those books I have read since my younger years and they seem to change with the years. Of course, it is not the words on the books which have changed but the reader.

For instance, the other book I am re-reading is Sheldon Vanauken's A Severe Mercy, perhaps one of the most beautiful books ever written (in my very humble opinion). I read it the first time not too long after the publication date and when I was still a young wife. I thought it a wonderful book but dreadfully sad.

Now, as I read it in my grandmother years... I see mostly the beauty of the book and not as much the sadness. It really is filled with Narnia magic as it includes the author's relationship with C. S. Lewis.

I love to read other people's book lists where they write down their essential books for people to read... especially those coming from people whose Christian walk I respect. It is not surprising A Severe Mercy continues to pop up on those lists.

I think the one book I have re-read the most since it first came out is Catherine Marshall's amazing book Christy. While the short lived TV series was quite good, if you have not read the book then you are missing a great novel (based on the real life experiences of Catherine's mother).

When I first the novel, I was a teenager and about the same age as the young Christy. In my imagination, I could see leaving all behind and going boldly into the mountains to teach! Through the years I related more with others in the book and now just the thought of walking the mountains leaves me breathless. ;)

I think of Christy when driving through the Eastern mountain ranges. When I first read the book, my only experience with forests were the kind I live near as well as those my family drove through to reach Mom's relatives in Northern Kentucky. They are thick with trees but not as described in Christy.

Then hubby and I spent part of our honeymoon in the Smokey Mountains where Christy went to live (although staying in the city of Asheville, North Carolina) and have driven through them since and they are breathtakingly beautiful.

But I really thought about the mountains Christy would have known when driving back from Virginia this September and viewing miles upon miles upon miles of forested mountain ranges... no wonder there were mountain people who had never seen towns!

That's one of the wonders of literature, I feel as if I have lived in those mountains! In my mind I have walked the cobblestone streets of English villages, felt the sub-zero cold of a Russian winter, melted in the Amazon heat, been cold and hungry in a Chinese prison just for being a Christian, and road canoes down the Wabash with French traders... sigh.

Have you ever given thought to the wonder of imagination and books? I believe they are God's gifts to those of us who must live out our lives in finite bodies. :)

Recent reading

2012-01-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

The copy I read has a different cover

Most of my reading these past few weeks were books I've already mentioned... those I re-read at Christmas. Although I do have to admit, during the Holidays I tended to watch more than I read just because I enjoy the plethora of family friendly movies available.

However, there were a couple new (to me) books I read during this time. I think I mentioned Henrietta's House by Elizabeth Goudge, which my dear fellow book-loving friend Kristi sent me (she was instrumental in my coming to love D. E. Stevenson books and encouraging my admiration of Goudge).

It is "kind of" a sequel to my beloved A City of Bells. The story of Henrietta, her friends and family, and eventually her house in the woods is one of those fantasy adventures that leaves one thinking that it could be real. At least to those of us who talk to our cats and look for fairies behind flower bushes. :)

It is a lovely story... less than a novel but more than a novella... that leaves you feeling good about the world and people and dreams. You may have to obtain it through inter-library loan but do try!

While Henrietta's House was a quick read, the other book I have had on my living room table has taken me longer to peruse... only because I want to hold onto what I'm reading on each page. It is called Real Love for Real Life: The Art and Work of Caring by Andi Ashworth. What can I say about a book which quotes Edith Schaeffer and Elizabeth Goudge in the first couple of chapters?

Andi Ashworth is the wife of musician Charlie Peacock. In this book, she gives the testimony of how she and her husband came to follow Christ from what I would call a "hippy" lifestyle. The book is excellent just in the telling of that journey in the first chapter.

However, the reason I love this so much is the actual thesis of the book... how all aspects of caring for people is important in the work of the Gospel.   The author reminds us that the ministry of caring is not only essential to the Church but to family and friends... even though in today's society it is not as respected as it once was.

Caring ranges from taking care of our family to showing love by offering hospitality to friends and strangers to helping the poorest among us. She reminds us that by serving others, we serve God.

Once of the reasons I also love this book is it reminds me of my own journey after hearing over and over the teaching of the feminists of my youth and then coming to realize that my enjoyment of taking care of people is worthwhile and God given.

Here is a quote from a section called A God of Beauty:

"Caring often means bringing beautiful things into people's lives-- cutting flowers for them, cleaning their house, taking them to see the ocean. Our desire for beauty is a reflection of a God who loves the beautiful.

God has set us down in a crazy, amazing world full of breathtaking sights and sounds and scents and textures, most of which seem to exist only for his pleasure and ours. When beauty is offered as a gift of love, what is seen or heard or tasted goes past the surface and into the heart.

But with such a high value placed on speed and getting things done in the quickest way possible, the creation of beauty is not "practical" to our culture today..."

You can see why I would enjoy reading this book!   The author was mentored through books (and tapes) by Edith Schaeffer and other L'Abri people... just as I was.

I've also been perusing some inspiring magazines, such as the latest issue of Where Women Cook. I haven't seen an issue since the first once came out as the only store that carries it is Barnes & Noble in the next town over. It was a gift to myself with Christmas money. I truly enjoy reading it!

I am going to re-read The Dean's Watch next and then some books to enrich the spirit.

Thank you again for entering Amazon.com through my widget (and that of other blog friends). It really added up!

Pretty...

2012-01-11T08:31:00.000-05:00

Cross purchased on clearance. Hope... a favorite word.

A rare sunny day in January was perfect for some natural light closeups...

Moved from the top of the china cabinet... would you believe it is plastic???

One of my favorite teacups, I love the butter yellow accents.

Found at different times while thrifting, both titles I love to "wear".

Perhaps my favorite Goodwill teacup.

Another thrifting find from a few years ago, such pretty etchings.

Just looking at this teacup makes me smile.

Morning light... no, the apples are not real!

Miss Victoria goes to the doctor

2012-01-10T10:07:00.002-05:00

Oh, my! Look at those eyes. :)

Victoria got her wish to go out into the cold cruel world again yesterday as she and I visited Dr. Lisa. We both adore Dr. Lisa, who has to be the world's nicest veterinarian.

Trust Her Highness to have a rare condition where the pads of her rather over sized (they are called snowshoe feet on Maine Coons, hehehe) paws swell and become very painful.

She was given another prescription and this time Dr. Lisa spent at least twenty minutes teaching me all about kitty paws and what to look for each month so we can start meds before Victoria is in so much pain she develops a limp.

Victoria actually loves her kitty carrier. I left it in the house the rest of the day just so she could sleep in it before the carrier was returned to the garden shed.

Before her appointment, Christopher and I had breakfast together at the McDonald's near the Engineering Building on campus. I was going to be on campus, anyway. It has been a tradition in our family... begun one year when Stephanie was in elementary school... to have breakfast together on the first day of school (and in some years like this, at each semester beginning).

I don't ever remember it including Dad, he was usually working (or even traveling) for most of those years. So having him with us breaks tradition. Don't worry, Hubby gets plenty of spoiling, including Dad-Son going to University basketball games together once in awhile when Hubby's friend offers expensive tickets he is not using.

Saturday morning I awoke to a text asking if I wanted to meet for breakfast (his treat) at our favorite "neighborhood" restaurant (that being our former neighborhood). It was the place we always went on the first day of school when we lived "in town" (for years the breakfast included his sister in late high school and college).

When it was just the two of us, his choice was often McDonald's so this semester he has both locations covered for nostalgia... and our last "first day of school" breakfast out. Next semester he will be married.

I love how certain traditions last for over a decade. Hmmm... so many of those seem to include FOOD.

I'm working on a "Favorite Books of 2011" post which is taking longer than usual this year. I lost the notebook where I wrote down the books I read. I have a feeling it slipped behind a shelf but I've looked for it now for months to no avail... sigh.

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2012-01-08T04:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas was lovely this year because it was, well... lovely. I once again realized that life does not have to be perfect to be good enough. While family were missing, the house looked beautiful and smelled yummy and the music of the Season was in the air. Friends came along side with blessings that (almost) filled the vacuum of those not here (and Christopher was home on other days).

Earlier this week I found myself putting on my red flannel housecoat and walking down the dark hallway to head for the dining area and light the tree as I had for over a month. However, it was no longer there! The sparkle had been packed the evening before... the last of the Christmas decorations to be put away until the weekend after Thanksgiving arrives this year. I miss the sparkle.

I've been pondering again how God has placed within us the need for Beauty. For me the need is to be surrounded by that which I find pretty and those things which bring me comfort... especially those things I've had for a long time.

Life is hard but there is something about walking into a cheerful kitchen or curling up on a sofa in a book lined room that brings my blood pressure under control more than any pill.

When I was making a few changes here and there (for if one keeps things in the same place for years... those same items seem to become invisible to the eye), I was thinking of the term "granny chic". I have decided those of us who have lived long enough to be grandmothers (whether we are in real life or not) have also managed to accumulate a lot of stuff.

Even when we have gone through the rooms and downsized once, twice, three times, and more... we still usually have stuff. After removing layers of stuff from my life, I find that which is left behind is truly what I love and what makes my heart sing.

The rooms come together in such a way that they give me a hug and lift me up like an old friend... even if the address is fairly new. There is artwork and pieces of furniture which have been with me for a very long time, offering a sense of continuity in an uncertain world. Many of those items kept me rather sane during those times when life was uncertain, particularly the year in which we moved three times.

There are other houses besides mine that give me the feeling of home and comfort. I love Stephanie's New England house and the way she decorates with vintage items in light and peaceful colors (with a few deep red items here and there). I love her library which was transformed out of the former owner's formal dining room and the rows upon rows of books... old and new.

I love her living room and the gas fireplace and the pictures of children and the artwork brought back from England and the bookshelves filled with her favorite books and cookbooks. I love the delicious meals and tea times and conversation around the large table. Her home is so warm and cozy. Yes, she does have an Interior Design degree but I think it is more about the way she cares for all of us.

I love my sister Bonnie's tiny apartment... the combination of primitive country and Victorian that only Bonnie can accomplish... those items she loves most now together in the small space. Like Stephanie's larger house, Bonnie's tiny apartment reminds me of the woman who makes her home her canvas for the art she creates just by living there.

I am also realizing more how our homes not only calm us but are the background for us to care for others. I was thinking about that this last week when Christopher and Miss M. stopped by when she was in town. I served them homemade vegetable soup and Christopher asked if this was my "famous" soup. Which I found amusing because in my mind it is "Mamaw's famous soup" (my mother).

I can no longer do a lot outside the home (which is why being gone so much these past few weeks was exhausting) but within the domain of my kitchen... I could offer good soup, homemade bread, and even a pumpkin pie I had baked the day before to surprise my husband (I told him he had to share like a good boy).

Mankind was created in a garden and has never lost the need for surrounding ourselves with that which we find Beautiful. For me I find beauty in yummy (even if simple) food, and good books, and lovely china set for a table or tea time or just sitting on a table to be admired, and flowers, and warm throws, and pretty quilts, and beautiful art (even if simply a framed calendar page), and the aroma of coffee first thing in the morning... and tea time in the afternoon.

Of course the most important source of peace is a Person and His Word. But sometimes when my days are dark and bleak, I make my way to the kitchen to create something that taste good... or I pick up a favorite novel to re-read... or put the kettle on for tea served (even to myself) in a favorite English cup. Sometimes I watch a movie with beautiful scenery or peruse a favorite magazine... but it all the same.

When times are difficult... I need more Beauty.

Someday... or so the Word tells us... there awaits for us Beauty which we cannot begin to imagine here on this fallen planet.

In the meantime, we take what is now available and create the good... if not the perfect.

Redecorating Two

2012-01-06T09:16:00.000-05:00

I changed the items on the hutch in the Living Room, for the first time displaying representatives of my brown transferware collection there. They actually work quite nicely with the rest of the room.

Close up they are...

Royal Mail and Friendly Village cups, British Castles dinner plate

Friendly Village cups, salad plates and teapot, Vintage Game dinner plate

The Brook dinner plate*

Transferring my brown transferware dishes to the hutch made room to once again have teacups displayed on the buffet.

Natural morning light

Using the flash

I've also started returning teacups and teapots to the china cabinet. I should say once again that all the items on the buffet were purchased while thrifting and often for a dollar or so... the July birthday teacup (front and center) was a gift from my wonderful daughter on a visit to Old Sturbridge Village.

Most of my dish collection were either gifts, found at thrift stores and garage sales, or reasonably priced at places like antique malls. The hunt for such pretties is part of the fun! I view them as art just as much as anything I hang on the wall. :)

Isn't this a pretty cross tassel? It was actually a Christmas ornament purchased on clearance for a couple of dollars at Tuesday Morning after the Holidays. I took one look at it and thought it would be lovely hanging from the china cabinet.

The china in the bottom shelf has been bequeathed to Miss M. when she becomes Mrs. Christopher in May. It is the Royal Albert Lavender Rose pattern. She loves everything purple and lavender so it was not surprising she'd love those dishes when she saw them... so I gave them to her.

It isn't like I don't have enough dishes and the complete set was purchased six or seven years ago... once again... while thrifting. :)

* In the years I've been collecting brown transferware while thrifting, I have only come across two dinner plates of "The Brook" by Franciscan. It is a lovely pattern, it could inspire all sorts of fairy tales. But then again, so could all the other patterns.... sigh.

Note:

The artist of the two winter scenes and the above picture (which was last year's Christmas gift) is John Rossini. My request for Christmas has been the same for years... a gift certificate to spend at my favorite primitive-country shop Downtown.

Hubby works the last week of the semester at the bookstore on campus and purchases my gift certificate (or as in this year... gives me cash) from some of his earnings. The Rossini prints are very reasonable!

Redecorating One

2012-01-05T13:56:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd share a few pictures today and tomorrow. Next week I'm hoping to write more about coffee, tea, books, and deepening the pantry.

However, this week my mind is still on redecorating the hutch, buffet, walls, etc.

Try as I may, I could not take a picture without the glare!

I do love winter scenes!

Yes, hubby has good taste but I was with him when we bought the print. I had seen it and loved it immediately. He also agreed it was beautiful. It kind of reminds me of Colonial Williamsburg but Vee, he also thought it looked like Sturbridge!

It is by the same artist as the winter scene (with the pretty red door) which was a Christmas gift two years ago... but I wanted his opinion before making the purchase.

The souvenir print I brought back from Colonial Williamsburg is also a winter scene.

The wreath was his other gift to me (again, I picked it out). When one is on a budget like ours, one is not timid about asking for a shopping trip instead of being surprised with a gift under the tree.

I've wanted a wreath like this for years and it inspired even more "tweaking" of my Living Room. Note the autumnal oil painting, purchased from Goodwill eons ago. I am an equal opportunity lover of seasonal artwork. :)

Sorry about the flash again, imagine deep taupe walls instead of glaring white.

Tomorrow I will show the changes I made to the hutch, buffet, and china cabinet.

The year of restoration

2012-01-04T14:03:00.000-05:00

This year's Christmas gift from hubby!

Little glimpses here and there these past few months... some nothing more than minute memories of the past or half a line of a song once sung... brought me around to this year's word... Restoration.

Nothing huge or traumatic but then again, I think it is the collection of small thoughts that bring more changes to my life. The big stuff overwhelms and does not end in ponderings so much as my usual habit of flinging myself at the feet of Jesus, pouring my heart out and pleading for HELP.

I am at an age when I don't make resolutions, more than likely I pick up last year's goals and give them a good shaking... much as my husband shakes the throw rugs out on the porch to get rid of collected dirt.

Some items on my list were performed as I hoped, a few never saw the light of day, and most are somewhere in the stage between Begin and Sigh and Set Aside... where so many good intentions sleep.

I know what must be done with them, time to reflect and think through what should be continued as well as what can be set aside as being a good intention but not worth my time at the moment. I need to ponder.

While I know restoration will involve picking up again some old practices I once enjoyed (needlework for instance), true restoration will be much like pouring boiling water fresh from the kettle over dried fruit and letting it come back to life. That which appeared to be all tired and dried out becomes... fresh.

Living with certain trials for any extended period of time... whether chronic illness, difficult finances, unanswered longings and desires, people challenges, work situations... stomping one's feet with long lived frustration kinds of trials... all have the ability to drain the very life from us and before we know it, we are shriveled up on the inside like a grape becoming a raisin.

But this year... this is the time of Restoration. I'm not quite certain how it will be attained but I do know Who will pour the water... the same Person who once turned it into wine. :)

This and that

2012-01-03T13:48:00.001-05:00

I used my wedding china for Christmas this year.

Another loaf of bread is slowly rising. The wind chill was 5 when I got up this morning, a brief journey into true winter! Brrrr... With the high cost of food, having good bread available to fill the tummy is, as Martha would say... "A good thing".

To answer a couple bread questions, my bread machine is a Regal made in the 1990s and still working quite nicely. I didn't use it much at first but then I saw an episode of one of Julia Child's shows (back when it was a first run on PBS) where she had various bakers as guests.

That episode had a guest who even changed Julia's mind about bread machines (she also had one and didn't use it) when she showed what could be done by letting the machine do all the work using the dough cycle and then taking it out... shaping it... and baking it in the oven. I only had to try it once to change my mind, too. I have baked bread in the machine a few times since then but about 99% of the time, I use the dough cycle.

As for other bread recipes, I have used others which called for bread being made by hand or in the Kitchen Aid mixer but now that there are just two of us, it makes more sense to make one fresh loaf at a time. I even converted Stephanie's favorite pizza dough recipe to the bread machine.

I thank those of you who made my Christmas much more delightful than I anticipated. It was so good hearing from you... good friends.

I never expected December to be so busy! Christopher stayed here more than at his apartment last month in the midst of projects, finals, and then over Christmas. It seemed I had more errands than expected, too. We thoroughly enjoyed the decorations and left the tree up until yesterday.

I enjoyed reading favorite Christmas books and watching good movies and PBS music specials. My favorite DVD this year was An Avonlea Christmas, which I had on a few times when puttering around the house. I love the houses and costumes and it has a good storyline, even if I thought it an odd choice the first time I saw it last year. It grew on me this year.

The past few weeks, I've been certain to keep Sunday night open to watch Downton Abbey when it has been replaying. I missed most of it last time and with so many people whose opinions I trust saying it was very good, I had to watch it.

It indeed drew me in and I loved it (except for the one "alternative lifestyle kissing scene) in the first episode but Stephanie had warned me about it and told me it forms a background about one of the characters. Everything after that was only implied about him. I can't wait until this weekend when Season 2 begins in the United States!

It took a few days to pack everything away so I used the time when Christmas items were packed but I hadn't returned the usual decorations to their homes to change things around. The hutch hadn't been changed very much since we moved in! I will be showing pictures, of course.

Today is the very first day in a long time that I haven't had a full "to do" list. There are still some areas of the house which need a little work but it is looking like I will get to write e-mails and letters soon. I don't know about you but it seems as if someone wound 2011 too tight and it went into double time! January and February are usually slow months at our house and I'm looking forward to them.

Manuela is blogging again, at least once she finishes getting the bugs out of her HTML. I am so glad to "see" her again. She sent me two salad plates in a favorite brown transferware pattern (among a few other vintage goodies). That partially sparked the transformation of my hutch shelves... but that is another story for later. Manuela's lovely Internet home is... here.

Sherry at Semicolon is always a must read for me but she's been focusing on book lists recently... which I LOVE. She is... here. If you miss me a couple days, I'll be over there clicking on links. Her last Saturday Review of Books is all about blogger's list of favorites from last year and previous posts contained a number of "Best of" lists throughout the Net.

Should you forget, both sites have buttons on my sidebar... under the Amazon widget and along with Lanier's Books and Holy Experience. Good company... :)

Just so you can keep up with Miss Victoria. She loved the stack of Rubbermaid Christmas containers so much, we kept them in the family room a few extra days. Our only "company" was to be Miss M. and she wouldn't mind... Victoria has her twisted around her little paw shall we say. Miss M. even brought her a Christmas gift. I must say that the feeling is mutual.

I leave you with pictures of Her Highness and her temporary Queendom.

My favorite bread machine bread recipe

2012-01-02T19:34:00.000-05:00

Before I forget... I was asked to share my favorite bread machine bread recipe. It has been on my recipe blog for years but I added this picture today. I thought I'd post it here so the requester will see it right away. :)

This has been my "go to" bread recipe since I received my bread machine as a Christmas present (a very long time ago). I tweak the ingredients for whom I'm making the bread and what I'm going to use it for. If it is for my husband (who slices the bread and freezes it, getting out only enough for breakfast each day), I make it 100% freshly ground whole wheat.

My son and I like it best half-whole wheat and half-King Arthur bread flour. For cinnamon rolls, I like to make it with three cups bread flour and one cup whole wheat flour. (I rarely make it with all white flour.)

If I'm using it to make a sweeter, richer, dough (for cinnamon rolls or to make dinner rolls), I use milk instead of water and use butter instead of oil. When I do this, I warm the milk up and then add the butter and honey to the warm milk to mix well.

As with any bread machine recipe, all ingredients should at least be room temperature (if not warmed a bit in the Winter).

This makes one loaf of bread or six to ten smallish cinnamon rolls.

Whole Wheat Honey Bread (also cinnamon rolls)*

1 Cup and 2 T. water (just slightly above the 1 C. line)
4 Cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

3 T. honey (or brown sugar)
2 T. shortening (I use mild olive oil or butter)
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place water, salt, honey and shortening in machine pan. Add flour and then sprinkle the yeast on top.

Put on dough cycle, will take approx. 1 ½ hours until finished. Take out of bread machine, mold into a loaf, put in greased loaf pan. Let rise until slightly over the top of the loaf pan, slash a few times on top.

Bake 30-35 min. at 350 degrees.

*Your bread machine may require a different order of ingredients but this seems to be the order used with most machines. If using butter, make certain it is room temperature.

If making cinnamon rolls:

Roll out into a rectangle, butter the dough (except about an inch at the bottom so it seals well), sprinkle with cinnamon, sprinkle with brown sugar, pat the sugar into the dough, roll up, cut into about one inch slices.

Place slices in two 9" cake pans (or whatever you have, I've also put them all in a 9 x 13 dish) and let rise about 30 min..longer in cold weather.

Place into preheated 350 degree oven and bake about twelve minutes or until golden on top. Let cool a bit and frost with frosting:

Frosting for cinnamon rolls: 1/4th cup (one-half of a stick) butter-room temp mixed with 3 cups confectioners sugar. Add just enough milk until you get the consistency you like (I like mine thinner then I'd use to frost a cake but not so thin it becomes a glaze).

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2012-01-01T04:00:00.000-05:00

"... Being confident of this,

that he who began a good work in you

will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

There are times and seasons of the year which I hold fast, particularly those from October through December and with the addition of one day in January... that being the First.

There is something about the newness of the calendar which reminds me of awaking early and watching the sun rise from my kitchen window (often with the aroma of coffee brewing). Within it is a promise of good things and new beginnings.

January 1st brings with it a clean slate, with both the good times and the "not so good" of the previous year behind me. A new year to Trust and to have Faith and to "cleave to" (a good old fashioned term) the One who has promised never to "leave me nor forsake me".

The past twelve months have brought quite a lot of brokenness to the world in general as well as to this household. Figuratively (the lightening strike) and in actuality (my husband's broken collar bone). Christmas started out feeling broken this year but ended with joy and delight, a certain sign of restoring peace and joy... all brought about by the affection of people.

As I thought of the news of the world and the nation this past year, it was filled with broken people and places... to such an extinct that I had to refrain from watching the news from time to time. I heard a doctor speaking on a television program recently, saying that we were not made to be inundated with the bad news of the world on a 24/7 basis so stress abounds everywhere.

I'm certain this will continue in this next year. There are two events which will receive a great deal of coverage... the election for the office of U. S. President and the Mayan prophecy concerning destruction in December of 2012. Neither of which will bring peaceful images or words from TV stations.

I've been pondering my word for 2012 for a few weeks now. For years I kept the same word... hope. I needed hope more than anything except faith. Then my word was... create. I still need hope and I plan to create but my ponderings took me just ever so slightly in a different direction.

I kept thinking of the word renew and then ... restore... and finally restoration. That's was it! I want this to be the year of...

Restoration!

In the midst of the broken-ness of the world, only the Lord can offer true restoration... only He, for instance, can restore a soul to new life. He can take what was broken from past years and make them whole again... whether relationships, finances, people, things, ministry, hopes, dreams, or even your walk with Him. He came to restore...

In many ways my new word is a continuation of the last two as hope became create and create becomes restoration. Of course, I'll be pondering more of what this means to me over the weeks. :)

Note: I'm back from my computer break but I may take a little while to merge back into reading and writing online (and I am still way behind in answering e-mails!).

Image: Season of Peace; allposters.com

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2011-12-25T08:01:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

I wasn't sure I was going to write a Sunday Afternoon Tea post as Christmas Day resides on Sunday this year. However, I have been pondering and well... you know how that goes.

Although there were a few times this Advent season that I was really depressed (and aren't we all from time to time?), I actually had a lovely Christmas time. I am so glad I decorated and read my favorite Christmas books and listened to the music of the Season and watched some Christmas movies (serious and absolutely dorky) and made that decision to embrace everything I love about Christmas.

Even if what I love most (the people) are not with me. Well, except hubby, of course. But there were friends, including many of you, who ministered to me and offered your friendship... and helped me find that joy.

The most important part of Christmas after all, is the fact Jesus is always with me. How can I know Christianity is real? Because I know the Person... the Christ... the Messiah. I don't doubt Him any more than I would doubt the existence of a friend I've only met through exchanging letters or e-mails. Peace is a Person.

I was recently involved in some kind of busy work (I think it was washing dishes in the hot, sudsy water with Mrs. Meyers Iowa Pine scent) when the thought suddenly came to me that Jesus has been with me during past Christmas seasons in two different ways... one as anchor and the other as plumb line.

During the seasons of Advent when the storms of circumstances were such that I thought I couldn't stand, when the winds of adversity almost blew me over... it was Jesus the Anchor who held me sturdy and provided strength. While my thoughts were on the Baby... the one who had been that Child was my Strength.

Then there were the various Christmas seasons when all was so good I was practically giddy with excitement. The lights seemed brighter and the music more lovely and people were all nice... even in line at the stores.

It was during those seasons of Advent when Jesus was my plumb line... keeping me steady and looking toward Due North, reminding me the season was about Him and not a jolly elf or baking Christmas cookies or the sparkle of a Christmas tree.

Most of my Advent seasons have found me in the middle of the bell shaped curve (sorry, I am surrounded by statisticians). They were my Goldilocks seasons when my circumstances were neither too hot nor too cold but "just right". Christmas was just... good.

How amazing that 2,000 years after His birth, death, and resurrection... He remains the central focus of our history... His story. Jesus divided history and our calendar... Before Christ or Anno Domini (in the year of our Lord).

That's why Christmas is my favorite time of year... when it seems Heaven is closer to Earth.

May you all have a delightful Christmas and I'll see you next Sunday... "God willing and the creek don't rise".

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T08:28:00.002-05:00

I think my Christmas preparations are complete. I know there is not a lot to do when Christmas dinner will be just the two of us but I am fixing a traditional meal (with lots of leftovers) while on a budget so I've gone to a few different stores for specials. (We decided to keep the day with just the two of us and watch a favorite movie after the Christmas dinner.)

I texted both of my kids at the last grocery store that I was in sticker shock, it truly does seem the prices have doubled (Stephanie feels the same... that her Christmas dinner and baking seems like it costs twice what it did last year). I am so glad that I know God provides every need and throws in some desires met here and there.

I had to smile at the remarks about my sofa in yesterday's post. That sofa was purchased when we moved into this house specifically for this living room. It was the second time we shopped for a living room sofa that we ended up getting something entirely different than we originally had planned. The first time was in the 1990s for a previous living room.

We knew we wanted a sleeper sofa and we did get that. We knew it had to be high quality, I am married to someone with a Master's Degree in furniture engineering. But the color and style was completely different than planned.

In the showroom, we found ourselves leaving the sofa that was much what we had planned for the room and coming back to this one. It looked much like one would fine in a refined "old time" men's study (the color is even called tobacco!).

Since I had to use the flash, the entire room looks more white than it really is (the color of the walls is taupe). We decided to purchase that particular sofa and it ended up being perfect. It is my favorite place in the house to curl up with a book or watch a DVD.

Yesterday I received a package from Amazon via UPS that made me laugh. For it was an exercise DVD and I knew who had to send it, only my daughter would send me such a gift. Anyone else would be certain I'd take offense. It's one of those walking DVDs (with "Christian" music) and I'm looking forward to trying it.

She and I had been talking about ways I could exercise as the county roads are too narrow for safely walking. I've been gaining weight just a pound or two at a time but it's beginning to add up (and I really am resembling the Pillsbury Dough Boy around the middle)... and it will help my blood sugar levels.

Speaking of Amazon... thank you all very much who ordered through the Amazon widget. That, too, has added up (although I'm happy about that accumulation) and I look forward to receiving the credit in February. Credit received each month was earned two months previously in case there are any returns.

I will be back on Sunday and then I'm taking five or six days off from not only blogging but I must take a partial internet break. I am way behind on returning e-mails and I must sort through the stack of papers and other "stuff" which has accumulated to find the Recommendations List (about twenty-five pages of print outs). That is a priority come the new year.

I'll also be spending time in prayer and pondering the Word from Him and the word for next year. I think I know what it will be already. Okay, I thought of it and then I lost the thought. Most of you over forty know exactly what I mean. ;)

Thank you all for your friendship, the unexpected part of blogging. I remember reading on Susan Branch's blog (yes Grace, I do LOVE Susan!) what it felt like when she received her first letter from a reader. She didn't realize when she "wrote" her first cookbook that it would bring with it those kinds of friendships.

While this blog is on a much, much smaller level... I am blessed by YOU.

Merry Christmas!

Kitties and tea kettles

2011-12-22T12:53:00.001-05:00

Maine Coon kitties love cold weather, they were born to it. However, it does seem to make them (and me) lethargic.

She normally sits up and looks out the window. She's often looking out when one of us is gone from the house. But these days she is laying down and looking out.

She tells me it is easier that way to keep track of her domain. I say she has a bad case of winter lethargic...

I stopped by Goodwill while I was running errands yesterday and found a few goodies. Including... something wonderful. Just when I was losing faith in the ability to find anything outstanding at Goodwill (good stuff but not outstanding), I came across this...

A Le Cruset' tea kettle very much like the one I uh... burnt up a long time ago. The reason why every tea kettle since then has had a whistle. It looks like it has only been used a few times. I love it!

My husband doesn't have the memory he used to but when he saw the tea kettle, he said it looks just like the one I melted. I guess destroying such an expensive tea kettle sticks in his brain. This one cost me just a few dollars.

Someday I hope to replace my ancient Le Cruset' dutch oven (one can only wish they'd find one of THOSE while thrifting).

Living in a special season

2011-12-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

The snowmen on the left have found themselves all over the house each Christmas. They were hand painted by my dear friend, BB.

Christmas has been quiet this year and I must admit, I almost let myself get way too depressed. However, friends and family (and many of YOU) helped cheer me up.

Very soon the season of Advent will be behind us and I have been embracing the Beauty all around. Yes, it was well worth the time and effort and energy to do a little "spiritual warfare through decorating". :)

I will miss waking up each morning and turning on the lights of the tree.

Everything gets a little touch of red at this time of year. Okay... all other eleven months, too, but at Christmas I have an excuse for the excessive use of the color red.

Christmas gives one an excuse to live in a fairy tale for a few weeks. No matter what is going on in our world at the moment, we... who hold the Christ of Christmas in our hearts... know we all eventually live Happily Ever After.

Some more Christmas pictures

2011-12-19T11:08:00.000-05:00

The vintage bottle tree was moved to the kitchen window ledge.

Last week I did some decorating "switching around" and a little Christmas crafting with items I already had on hand.

Some items I have in the kitchen all year provided a Christmas-y touch, like the vintage cookie cutters. Others had a little Holiday tweaking.

The vintage molds were first given a layer of rock salt (like used in ice cream machines... you can use Kosher salt) then a layer of Christmas sprinkles. I set one of the peppermint tea lights in each. I received a package as a Christmas gift from a sweet friend a couple years ago. I only used them at Christmas so I had some left. Even though they are small, they smell wonderful!!!

Don't they sparkle when lit? Everything came from items I already had so they cost nothing but a few minutes of time. I saw something similar done with dry green split peas and then two or three fresh raspberries, too. That would be cute!

I saw something similar to this on a blog and wondered why I hadn't thought of doing the same at Christmas. It's really a Holiday variation on a candle I've seen on emergency preparedness sights (easy to keep the items on hand and make in a power loss).

One simply takes a jelly size canning jar, put a layer of rock salt or Kosher salt on the bottom, set a tea light inside it, and then place a canning lid ring on it. I happened to have one with poinsettias left over from a gift received years ago so this makes it even more Christmas-y.

The one I saw online had a ribbon around it and I think a tiny bell added to the ribbon. Since the ring I used had a Holiday theme, I left it as is. You would be surprised how much light it gives off and regular tea lights are cheap.

I've shown you the milk bottle that I keep salt in all year to look like milk. The peppermint sticks were bought on clearance last year. I love the simplicity and the natural kitchen theme the milk bottle brings to the party.

The two tiny Bonne Maman jelly jars have been sitting empty in my yellow pantry (they are so cute, I knew I'd find a purpose for them) so I filled them with Christmas sprinkles and such and just set them on the old Cuisinart.

I decided not to make Christmas yo-yos right now, instead I'm going to start working on them with fabrics I'll use all year. The best time for me to make Christmas sewing projects is in July and August when it is so hot outside. I did this when I made items to sell at craft fairs in Iowa, I just put Christmas music on to get in the Holiday mood. :)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2011-12-18T04:00:00.000-05:00

Silent night, Holy Night

All is calm, all is bright...

Two different Christmas seasons, twelve years apart... my Mary years. Two seasons of Advent holding a newborn close and thinking of the teenage virgin who said "yes" to God. How could one who holds Christ in their heart not think of Mary as they looked into the face of one so new?

My first such season, I found myself holding my daughter and watching her after she had gone back to sleep. Rocking her by the lights of the Christmas tree, touching newborn fingers and toes and running my fingers over tiny ears... and thanking God that this time we came home with a baby to hold after the heartbreak of a premature birth the previous year.

Twelve years later I was once again astonished by the little one I held, the surprise baby... the boy that made our family complete. I'd been told I probably could not have any more children but here he was. I'd always sensed there was someone missing from the table and that Christmas I once again counted tiny toes and fingers and smiled at wisps of red hair.

It is good that I know I will never understand God, my finite mind cannot comprehend the Infinite Creator choosing to grow inside the body of a young woman. One who belonged in a palace instead came in a manger surrounded by His own creation.

The angels could have announced His coming to Kings and Queens but instead it was chosen they would appear before the lowliest and most humble of the time... the shepherds at work guarding the sheep. From the very beginning He showed us He came for the least, the little, the last, and the lost.

What could Mary have thought when she held her infant son? Born in a time of trouble when all around them was the uncertainty of Roman occupation. The Bread which would be broken for us now born in the town named "House of Bread"... Bethlehem.

Both of those Christmas seasons I would read my Bible with the Christmas lights reflected in a corner of the room, thinking of the first Christmas and Mary. Wondering if she had any idea what was ahead. Pondering the changes in her life after saying "Yes" to God.

I'm certain there would always be whispers and unbelievers and a reputation ruined in the eyes of friends and relatives. I once read the statement that the only human on earth who knew it was a virgin birth was Mary. With certainty Elizabeth must have believed and been a friend to Mary. Joseph believed but not at first.

I pondered on the very young mother and what it was like as she raised her Son. Did she play tag with Him and sing Him songs and tell Him stories of times past? Did Joseph show Him how to use a chisel and a hammer? Did Joseph read from the Torah... the words to the Word?

There are many people I've met in the Bible with whom I would love to sit and talk over delicious tea (for I'm certain the tea of Heaven will be delightful). Mary is near the top of that list. I wonder if she would share how it was to be chosen the mother of the Lamb of God... or will she continue to ponder those things in her heart?

Snow, reading, and TV specials

2011-12-17T09:42:00.000-05:00

It looks like Christmas here with snow falling on the trees and the red barn across the road. Snow is a rare sight this year, it has been a rather muddy Season. Christopher reminded me that last year we had heavy snow and ice the week of finals.

I'd planned to run a couple errands today but instead I'm staying home where it is warm and cozy. There is nothing which needed to be done today that can't wait until Monday. After the busy-ness of last week, a day of reading and watching a little TV sounds lovely.

There are some very good Christmas specials on various channels, including The Pioneer Woman's Christmas special on The Food Network (I just love Ree!) and the NRB Channel is showing the Christmas episodes of The Joy of Music. I'm not a big fan of organ music, however, I have enjoyed that show through the years. My favorites being the two Christmas episodes and the one they taped at L'Abri in Switzerland a few years ago.

But there are also books still to read! Last night I perused through one of my favorite "books about books", Honey for a Woman's Heart by Gladys Hunt. Since it first came out, this book has introduce me to some authors who would have otherwise been off my radar... like Barbara Pym ( a few have asked me if I have read her books, yes... very good!).

Anyway, when I read through it again last night, I kept thinking of that saying, "So many books... so little time". Sigh... But before I can read or watch or anything else, there are dishes soaking in the kitchen sink, and a load of laundry waiting for the washer, not to mention humans and a kitty needing to eat. Such necessary gotta do's continue even this time of year.

Sparkle

2011-12-16T14:47:00.002-05:00

I have been listening to In the Bleak Midwinter and enjoying the sparkle from the tree. I think Heaven is going to sparkle.

Even more bookshelves...

2011-12-15T10:12:00.001-05:00

We have had a couple days of cold December rains, the kind of wet that just cuts through you even when you are inside with bread baking and tripping over a kitty determined to sleep in the middle of the floor. Today the rain is to end and the temperatures plummet.

Christopher will be staying here tonight so I've promised both the guys homemade chicken soup. I am so glad I defrosted a whole chicken a few days ago. It now resides in a hot oven, sitting on a bed of frozen onions, celery, and carrots (a good thing to have frozen as I am out of fresh celery and carrots).

After an hour in the oven, it will all be transferred to the stock pot on its' way to become a healthy meal after the sun sets. I can hardly wait... In the meantime, I am going to attempt to get caught up with e-mails today in between laundry and other necessary items on the gotta do list.

As promised, here are a few more peeks into my bookshelves... this time the living room (sorry for the flash!). My two large bookshelves there used to reside on corresponding sides of a fireplace in a former home. Now they are rather overpowering in the small living room but that is okay... decorating with books is always welcome here.

The blue books are my collection of Anne Morrow Lindbergh diaries, which I plan to re-read this winter.

Carolee, you are in between Colson and Friedman!

My books are not exactly in perfect order but for the most part... there is a pattern. Sometimes they are mixed up just due to the size of book a shelf can hold. I hope this incomplete glimpse into the living room shelves is fun for you! I love seeing people's bookshelves.

Notes:
All pictures can be enlarged by clicking.

While my books have been collected since I was a teenager, many of them were purchased at library sales for a dollar or less. A few were found third party through Amazon for very inexpensive prices (like the Anne Morrow Lindbergh diaries).

Some older books were gifts from friends who knew I'd take very good care of them. I love old books.

More Bookshelves

2011-12-14T11:19:00.001-05:00

I finished reading Henrietta's House yesterday evening with the above ball of fur stretched out on my legs. What a delightful little fantasy-fairy tale book with the beloved people from A City of Bells. I hope you can find it at your library! Today I return to my annual re-reading of Karon's Shepherd's Abiding. (By the way, the rope you see on the floor is Victoria's "toy".)

I noticed some of the books yesterday did not show up very well so I took close ups of those shelves this morning. Unfortunately, if I wait for good light it may be July so all pictures must be taken with a flash.

Some of my favorite books...


Now, how did the lovely Sarah's book end up with my Alexandra? I will always keep that book, it has the loveliest note written inside... just for me... by my precious young friend! The Frugal Luxuries books are autographed by my friend (the author) Tracey... a friend met first in books and then through blogging. :)

Favorite tea and gardening books all jumbled together.

I don't have any of Sally's books here as I gave them all away to people I thought would love them. But she would be here, too.

Below are some of my favorite cookbooks to take out and read on a snowy afternoon.

I can't tell you how many times I've perused Where Women Cook Celebrate. :)


Written by Mother and then Daughter... wonderful books for those of us who enjoy Amish recipes.

I've had these two books for years and still enjoy reading through them.

More recipe books, just a few among many collected over the years...

Tomorrow... more pictures of bookshelves.

Note: I've found both cooking and decorating books at great prices third party on Amazon and at Tuesday Morning.

Books and brownies

2011-12-13T17:41:00.000-05:00

I love these old vintage pictures, found long ago at a garage sale.

Christopher had two finals today. He has been studying very hard for his Latin exam. He's dyslexic so learning a foreign language is hard and he's the first student registered with the University as dyslexic who is taking Latin (he has a Classics minor) so he can't get around all the written exams... but he has a wonderfully understanding professor. Each semester of Latin at the university is equivalent to two years in high school.

However, he thinks he did quite well with it and while it would be nice to get an A, he knows he will at least get a B in the class so it wouldn't bring down his GPA very much. This is the guy who received an A+ in Engineering Physics (the same class which his father had to take twice in college) but learning a foreign language is hard. He probably studied for that final about fifteen hours or more.

He studied for his Ancient Civilization final for about an hour and he knows he got an A in it. He says all that watching of the History Channel while homeschooling helped. :)

While I spent part of the day on campus, I did manage to read some of the lovely little paperback Goudge novel called Henrietta's House which my equally lovely friend sent to me. She has shared precious Goudge and Stevenson books and was the first to introduce me to D. E. Stevenson (whom Lanier calls "Goudge light"). I especially enjoyed Vittoria Cottage and Music in the Hills but also Miss Buncle's Book and Miss Buncle Married and... well, I could go on.

I've decided I'm going to take some pictures of my bookshelves and show them once in awhile. These two are bookshelves in Christopher's former room where I moved some of my very favorite books. If you are as nosy as I am about photos of bookshelves... yes, the picture does enlarge when you click it. ;)

I will take more bookshelf pictures soon.

Now... to the brownies. I had promised the guys I'd make "something sweet" today but there wasn't time for anything complicated. I threw together this Beverly Nye brownie recipe and made a simple chocolate buttercream frosting to put on it (just a thin layer as this is her rich brownie recipe).

I will "park" this on my recipe blog soon. I already have another Beverly Nye brownie recipe there. It is her less expensive version of brownies called Cocoa Bars. If you have a Beverly Nye cookbook, you will know this is the way she often wrote her recipes. I used to watch her on The Bob Braun Show that came out of Cincinnati when I was a teenager and I loved her recipes even then!

Beverly Nye's Rich Chocolate Brownies

Melt 2 sticks butter and add 7 T. cocoa (I often use only 4).

Then add 2 Cups sugar and beat well (I often use 1 1/2).

Add:
4 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups flour
Dash salt

Mix well. Stir in nuts if desired.

Spread in greased 9 x 12" pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min.

(I have let the butter-cocoa mixture cool and then just added everything else to the saucepan!)

For the thin layer of frosting I used today...

1/2 stick butter at room temperature
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa

Blend together in mixer until smooth. Add milk about a tablespoon at a time until you get the fluffy consistency you want. Be patient or you will add too much and then you have to add more sugar and then more cocoa and well, it can get to be a mess.

A little more Christmas...

2011-12-12T17:47:00.000-05:00

Stephanie has often bought me snowmen and snowladies through the years. :)

It's been a little hectic around here to do much pondering (you may have noticed Sunday Afternoon Tea was later than usual!). Christopher has been staying here part of the time so he can make certain he does not sleep through his alarm. Last week he had to make multiple presentations.

Now he's in the midst of finals so he's staying every night and I'm driving him in and picking him up so he doesn't have to be concerned about finding limited parking spaces. One of the jobs Miss M. will be taking over come May. :)

I don't have the baking or crafting done that I wanted but I did find time to take some pictures.

I have quite a few tree toppers (a couple shown in a previous picture on the lamp table in my living room) but I always seem to use this theologically incorrect angel I made when Christopher was a baby. She makes me happy.

I have all kinds of ornaments but I learned a lesson from a design show long ago (I think it was Lynette Jennings on a Christmas special) that if you use one color of bulb throughout the tree, you can get away with a variety of other ornaments. So... I have used vintage plain red bulbs near the center and throughout the tree for years.

The pictures above show a few of the ornaments. Below the tree...

These two dolls and (out of the picture) a cute bear and a snowman that sings which my sister, Bonnie, gave me... yes, really. The tree is in the dining room, which can be seen as soon as you come in the front door, only because it is the one place in the house in which I don't have to move a lot of furniture for it to stand... it has worked out for years so I'll stick with it there.

Oh, someone had asked about the wallpaper in the dining room area. Here is a closeup, it is a brocade type wall paper with vertical stripes and then a wallpaper border horizontally placed below the "chair rail" woodwork. The very talented young couple we bought the house from had done a lot to change it from a typical 1960s ranch house to something special.

I think it was brilliant on their part to just have wallpaper on the bottom part and then paint above the chair rail a kind of taupe color (the same color continues into the living room). The only change I made was to take down the purple drapes and put up my much beloved lace curtains (you may have noticed I have a thing for lace curtains, blame it on living among the Dutch for nine years!). :)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2011-12-11T11:39:00.000-05:00

"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy,

the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."

C. S. Lewis

Every two or three weeks, I travel from my home to my friend's house for coffee or tea and talk. In between our homes one must go over the river and through the woods (literally) and then traverse the traffic through the larger of the two towns before reaching her quiet neighborhood.

This past week, I had to make another stop first so I found myself driving a different route than usual. As I was in the midst of heavy Downtown traffic, I had to recalculate my internal (mental map) GPS to quickly decide which street would give me the straightest journey.

For some reason... perhaps the Christmas music coming from the radio speakers... I thought of the expression Due North and that star which appeared in Bethlehem announcing His birth, as it directed Wise Men from the East... and my need for such direction in my life.

I'd written my daughter about the heavy fog which surrounded me this year and how it seemed to keep me down all Holiday Season. I felt I had to keep my eye on "He Who is Due North" just to remember what Christmas is all about. My true journey is not simply driving on one way streets through town but each moment He gives me breath here on this Silent Planet (as C. S. describes Earth since it rejected the Savior).

As I kept a mental image of the Bethlehem star in my mind, why couldn't I shake the darkness which enveloped my world? The house looked very pretty, I enjoyed the Christmas books and movies and music, and I'd read through the Book of Hebrews (which... of all New Testament Books... explains the coming Advent to the Jews).

I expect a large part of the gloominess was missing people who are not with us due to death or distance. Christmas brings lovely memories which can also bring heart pain as the Advent of the Eternal reminds us of empty spaces caused by the continuance of time.

I longed for True North and that peace that transcends human understanding in which I often wear as a shawl against the cold winds of reality. I felt as one in a windstorm searching the skies for that Light leading us to safety and all I could say at times was... help.

His answer came in a variety of ways. I received a couple gifts this week which He reminded me came as He put my name on the heart of blog friends (whom I have never met in person but appreciate so very much). While receiving a gift was lovely, it was knowing they cared that meant so much.... and they appeared as a beacon light in the storm... that brought warmth to a weary soul.

The second part of His answer was the arrival of Randy Alcorn's most recent newsletter*. If you have read any of Randy's books, you know he talks a lot about Heaven. I realized as I perused one of the pages of quotes I'd forgotten that which I'm always saying... it isn't Heaven, yet.

People who do not understand will often put down those of us who look toward the Heavenly City as being too "heavenly minded". We're not, really... if anything we realize more than anyone that we live in a fallen world that cannot be expected to offer us the Peace and Joy found only in Jesus and the hope of His coming.

It is "in Christ" that we have the assurance of Heaven and unlike a religion (for Christianity is not really a religion but a relationship with a Person)... He has done all the work to get us there and we just have to accept... to believe... to have faith that the work is done and accept it as our own.

I literally felt the sunshine break through my spirit (Sonshine?) as I was once again reminded that nothing in this world can bring true and lasting Joy... no books (gasp)... no movies... not even music... no furry member of the family... and most of all no human person. I cannot expect Christmas itself to bring what I know is not possible any other time of the year.

I think it's just that during the Christmas season, we get a little minuscule peek of Heaven bending down to Earth. Perhaps it is that very Light shining down in the lights that places within me a longing for the Perfection to come and an even stronger realization that I live in a fallen world which has been redeemed... first by the Christmas infant... then the Lamb of Easter.

For always in the songs of Christmas is the shadow of a Cross... and a Resurrection... and the people replied Hallelujah!

* Randy Alcorn's newsletter is available online... here. The quotes about Heaven are near the end of the issue.

Picture: Lesson Top

Christmas decorating - Kitchen

2011-12-09T08:54:00.000-05:00

The top of the frig

This room is continually changing and probably will be as December continues. If I get some yo-yo's made in time, they will go in the kitchen, too. I may work on them today. I'd planned to go into town but the country roads are a little slick with snow this morning... a good day for domestic creativity.

Yes, I did decorate a lot this year but I needed more Christmas than usual. By getting down every container, I found items I thought I'd lost last year. Hubby had stored that big container on a different shelf. I have collected Christmas items since I was a teenager and now I'm a grandmother... so even though I have downsized the items a lot, there are plenty left (mostly my very favorites now). I've promised the future Mrs. Christopher she can go through them next Christmas. :)

To answer questions from yesterday, the candle lamp in the last picture came from Goodwill (so many Christmas decorations were found while thrifting and at garage sales through the years). I made my large lamp smaller by removing the top part of it, easily done just by unscrewing that part of the lamp in this case.

Lots of little cuties here, including the Cabbage Patch doll that was a Happy Meal Christmas toy when Stephanie was little.

This scene makes me smile just looking at it.

The "milk" in the milk bottles is really salt. :)

The top of the bread box. I stitched the embroidery when I was first married.

The vintage looking whisk and spatula are tree ornaments bought on clearance at Cracker Barrel a couple years ago. They stay out all year.

Finally... this isn't exactly Christmas-y but I thought I'd share the change I made on the kitchen wall. I used to have a favorite large piece of artwork there but I moved it to the "room formerly known as Christopher's".

I was concerned about replacing it without changing a lot of other items but our favorite print of the lighthouse in Holland, Michigan (where we lived for nearly nine years) and the trivet that was a gift from my daughter fit in the space perfectly.

This print of "Big Red" brings back lovely memories.

Hubby and I love having the print where we can see it often. I promise to take a picture when I get the yo-yo's made and hung!

All of my pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Christmas decorating - Family Room

2011-12-08T11:25:00.001-05:00

I had planned to post this earlier but my wireless suddenly stopped working. We thought the problem was with the phone company so we let it go over a day before calling again. We ended up having to move the router to a different plug in.

The lamp still works plugged into the other one but not the router??? Strange... but it is in the area which took the direct hit from the lightening (as I tried to explain to the nice customer representative). At least we are back online now.

Oh, the cute snowman couple with the quilt around them shown in the last post was a gift from my daughter when we still lived in our larger house (the one we ended up having to sell) so it is about eleven years old. I love it so much, it stays out all year!

Below are pictures from my family room, which used to be the room in our house that I least liked. Through the years I've tweaked it off and on so it is now warm and cozy.

Except for the tiny tree on the converter box, this is what it looks like all year. I keep the rustic tree in the crock out all the time.

These shelves used to stay on my porch but they now reside inside permanently.

The throw on the chair usually sits on the vintage suitcases but the Christmas fabric I'm using for yo-yo's temporarily sits on it (under the snowgirl).

This lamp used to be huge but I made it smaller when Stephanie handed down her lovely small lampshade to me.


My parents were married on Christmas Eve and this is their wedding picture.

Christmas decorating - dining area and living room

2011-12-06T11:25:00.001-05:00

The pictures are not always the best as I must use a flash part of the time (living in a forested area does that to the light availability). But since perfect is rarely possible...

And... now for a bit of decorating reality... I give you my coffeetable.

Lost in Oxford

2011-12-05T14:01:00.001-05:00

Not really but the bookish way through Surprised by Oxford, a memoir by Carolyn Weber. I couldn't put it down yesterday (thankfully a Sunday when lounging on the sofa is the keeping of a Sabbath and not considered lazy).

The last two chapters were before me last night but as hard as I tried, the sleepiness was overtaking my eyelids, making it impossible to finish the book until this morning.

Needless to say, I enjoyed the book very much... what is not to love about a well written story of one who wins a scholarship to graduate school at Oxford and comes to know Christ in that first year. It is a love story on multiple levels and a wonderful destination in which to find myself on a rainy Sunday.

I would have enjoyed attending university at Oxford. The way one learns there with reading a book and then discussing it is much the same way we homeschooled. I don't enjoy arguments whatsoever but I do love talking ideas with others, even if they do not agree with me as long as it is not one big argument.

I have mentioned before that one of my very good longtime friends is both Jewish and Liberal. We don't discuss politics or religion but there are many subjects we agree on including environmental concerns (one doesn't have to agree on what is causing global warming but one cannot dismiss the fact that the weather is crazy), the need for local and natural farms, the concern about the manipulation of our seed supply, and the joys of raising boys (except I also have a girl).

The book reminded me of my early days as a Christian, coming from a very "unchurched" home and finding myself in the midst of being wooed by He Who Created Me... in the days of the Jesus Movement. There were lots of wonderful discussions and coffee and music and more coffee. No wonder so many of that generation should own stock at Starbucks (not that I can go often but when I do... yum).

Anyway, I digress... another thing I love about this book is that it talks about Christians who love art and poetry and literature and gardens... and Lewis, of course. How could one become a Christian at Oxford and not have the conversation eventually come around to Lewis (or Tolkien, etc.). Sigh...

There is something about this time of year that brings out my inner Narnia. I can almost expect Aslan to walk through the door but it is just Victoria and her Maine Coon hairdo. Admittedly, if Aslan were to walk into my house I'd faint after I called animal control... but one can be fearless when it comes to fairy tale fantasies.

Since I finished the book which interrupted Christmas reading (but in such a good way), I will begin re-reading No Holly For Miss Quinn later this evening. I also took my copy of The Wind in the Willow off the shelf this past weekend, which has the loveliest of Christmas scenes in it. It is not only my favorite children's books, it is one of my all time favorite books... period.

It is dark outside even in early afternoon, I'd forgotten just how dark a winter day can be. However, the Christmas tree is lit (I moved the laptop to the dining table after putting up the tree) and the kitchen is bright and shiny (Hallelujah... light in the kitchen!). I've had Christmas music playing on Pandora. Yes... about as close to Narnia as one can get in the American Midwest. :)

Ohhhh... thank you for the compliments on the Christmas header (which is the top of my buffet decorated for Christmas this year). I always return to my default header as I do love it but one has to be more festive for the Holidays.

Picture: A Time For Reading, Judy Gibson; allposters.com

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2011-12-04T11:27:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2009

If anyone should have beauty in their home,

it is people who call themselves Christian.

Edith Schaeffer (paraphrased)

I've been enjoying the quiet of the Season here at my home... reading with the Christmas tree lit in the corner, listening to the local Bach Singers on CD presenting music originally from Kings College in England, and watching Christmas movies... amidst the usual daily routine of laundry, cooking, cleaning, and dishes.

This past week I've been thinking a lot about an unusual way of looking at Christmas festivities... as a form of spiritual warfare. Oh, I know because I have read books about spiritual warfare and even taken a couple of classes. They always talk about intercessory prayer and putting on the "whole armor of God" as found in the Book of Ephesians... not polishing silver.

But I learned long ago in the midst of deep and heartbreaking trials that I needed to do the opposite of what the enemy of my soul expected of me. Instead of sitting in the middle of my bed, pulling the sheet over my head, and eating a pint of Hagan-Daz chocolate chip (ummm... which I have done before), I was to fight back against my circumstances the best way I knew how.

Sometimes I write and there are days I've baked something lovely... but at Christmas I decorate. I learned when I am feeling the most down and out then I need to decorate even more than other years. As with this year being the first time (as planned at least) my husband and I will be alone at Christmas so I pulled out every box of Christmas items I own and created magic... Narnia magic.

It is quite beautiful (you will see more pictures when I buy new batteries for my camera) and it truly does raise my spirits and brings me closer to He who is Christmas. The source of all evil in this world cannot possibly comprehend why one would make her house look even more festive in a year which has been (to say the least) challenging. But He knows and I'm certain sees it as a sacrifice of praise.

That has been a lesson learned in the midst of adversity when all I had to give Him was my attitude and how I was reacting to a trial. As the Word says, "The joy of the Lord is my strength" and I truly found strength when I surrounded myself and my family with the glitz and glitter and lights and beauty of the Season.

Now, I understand that we are all different and I have friends who prefer very simple decorations mainly made of objects from nature and that makes them happy. As for me and my house at Christmas... bring on the Narnia magic. I want my home to be filled with candle light and sparkle and Christmas music and the aroma of ginger and cinnamon and peppermint and a ham roasting in the oven (not all at once or every day, of course).

That is the sacrifice I lay at His altar... the decision to do the opposite of what I may feel like at that time. Instead of looking back and remembering mother crying in her eggnog, my children have (I hope) very fond memories of the entire Advent season that was filled with not only glitz and glitter but also Faith and Hope and Grace.

When Stephanie was young and we lived in Holland (Michigan), we adored going downtown and experiencing the Christmas lights and the way the stores decorated their windows. One of the most beautiful memories I have is when my husband and I were Christmas shopping in Holland when large, fluffy snowflakes began to fall and the sound of Christmas carols was coming from a street corner.

It was night time and one could see the snowflakes in the glow of the lamplight as shoppers walked on cobblestone streets. I remember stopping to soak it all in and thinking this must be just a tiny feeling of what Heaven would be like.

Christmas is the time of year when Heaven touches the Earth and the music heard even on secular radio stations praises the Savior. Even if we must celebrate by faith with a Charlie Brown style tiny tree (a branch stuck in a pot of sand?) and reading Christmas stories in a book borrowed from the library... He takes our smallest of efforts as praise and thanks.

Recent (pre-Christmas) reading

2011-12-03T09:04:00.001-05:00

I forgot one of my favorite Christmas books in the last book post (how could I?). Some of you will remember Marcia Adams wonderful PBS shows Cooking from Quilt Country. I have her two Quilt Country books (one signed when I met her in person) but my favorite cookbook of hers is Christmas in the Heartland.

It is a beautiful Christmas book in which she visits various homes in the "Heartland" and writes about the Christmas customs of the regions... for instance the Morarvian influence, the Victorian influence, an Indiana farm family, etc. Absolutely lovely pictures and recipes... that's how I remembered the book. I needed it for the stained glass cookie recipe in it. This book is available really cheap on Amazon and I highly (highly) recommend it.

I've kind of interrupted Christmas reading by including Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber. I'm reading it along with the Miss Read Christmas book. A friend of mine gave me a $10.00 online gift "card" to Amazon for a Thanksgiving gift and I had a couple dollars left from credit... just enough to buy this book third party. So far I'm loving it but I'll give you the whole story next month.

That reminds me... yes, your credit I receive for entering Amazon is showing up (asked in comments). I can't tell WHO is ordering anything but the reports show me what is ordered and the amount of credit received. The last two months credit was used to purchase Christmas gifts for my grandchildren. Without it I would have had to give them an IOU under their tree. I humbly thank you... you all have blessed me (and I'm sure the other blog friends for whom anyone enters Amazon through their widgets).

Now... for November:

Grace Livingston Hill: Her Story and Her Writings by Jean Karr - I had no idea there was a biography of GLH until I saw this slim volume at a library sale a few years ago. Why am I just now reading it? Because I had put it on my bookshelves and only recently came across it again.

As with all good biographies, it also shares with us the history of the times in which the subject lived. I came to understand how GLH was influenced by her family and her surroundings to make her a great writer and a strong Christian. In some ways her biography reminds me a lot of the book Searching for Mrs. Oswald Chambers as both women gave us books we love as a result of tragedy in their own lives.

Both of these books are very good but the GLH biography was written in 1948 and I'm not sure there was ever a recent edition. It would be worth finding it through the library if you are a fan of her books. I looked on Amazon for it and they do have a few inexpensive copies (and some over $300!). The author shown on their page is Grace Livingston Hill herself, which is not correct. This book was written a year after her death.

The Magic Never Ends: The Life and work of C. S. Lewis by John Ryan Duncan - This was a Goodwill find that I really liked. It is a companion book to a film but I've never seen the film version and this was definitely good read on its' own.

The story of his life is told by five or six people who knew him well. It's not an indepth biography but a macro account with pictures. It would be a good biographical introduction to people who found him through the recent movies.

People My Teachers: Around the World In Eighty Years by John Stott - Reading more by and about John Stott was on my "things I want to do" mental list this year. This is the kind of book one peruses and comes back to again and again. It's a unique way of telling us about people who have influenced his life by taking us around the world and sharing by region instead of time.

Some are understandable, like the Apostle Paul and there were a few I had to read to understand why they were included... like Darwin. It contains people from long ago (obviously since I mentioned St. Paul) until the time this book was written. It is full of gorgeous pictures, maps, etc... one of Stott's hobbies was photography.

The Tehran Initiative by Joel Rosenberg - This is the second "end time" thriller in Joel's new series (the first being The Twelfth Imam). Iran has the bomb and the Imam is out to destroy the U.S. and Israel. I was up past midnight finishing this book one evening. The next day my husband asked me why I was up so late and I told him that a nuclear missile was heading for Jerusalem and I had to know what happened. :)

Picture: Kim Sung Book Shop: allposters.com

I lost baby Jesus

2011-12-02T14:35:00.001-05:00

This conversation really happened with my son when he came home for dinner a few nights ago...

Me:   I have all the Christmas decorating done but I've lost Jesus

He:   You lost Jesus?

Me:   Yes, I lost Baby Jesus

He:    Uh... you lost Baby Jesus?

Me:   Yes, I have everyone in the creche except for Baby Jesus. Somehow I have misplaced him. Kind of like real life, you know. Everyone is there but Jesus.

He:    Giving his mother a look like she has finally lost it...

My creche is only an inexpensive Goodwill jobbie but it is rather unnerving to lose the baby Jesus. I told him I hope it wasn't prophetic or anything. He just rolled his eyes and went back to studying for his Ancient History exam.

It's Stephanie's Birthday!

2011-12-02T08:48:00.001-05:00

Stephanie cooking in the cottage where they stayed in England.

Happy Birthday, it is lovely having a daughter who is also a best friend. :)

Christmas reading and viewing

2011-11-30T20:44:00.001-05:00

I have been enjoying dusting off some of my favorite books and movies to assist in the Christmas mood around here. Although tonight I took time off of Christmas as my son stopped by for dinner and brought his copy of The Social Network (good movie but not G-rated, if you get my drift). Both my kids remarked how interesting it is that this guy changed the world when Facebook was invented.

Anyway... I digress from the actual reason for writing... Christmas. I've watched a few shows on TV including last night's classic Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer. It's corny but I still love the whole "misfit as hero" plot and listening to Burl Ives as narrator. For us baby boomers, it brings back lots of nostalgic memories.

Yesterday I watched my An Avonlea Christmas DVD after the dinner dishes were finished. I love this movie but Stephanie didn't care for it as much when she watched it. One of the subplots is that Felix is MIA in WWI and it follows Janet as she becomes angry and bitter over the war. But she doesn't stay that way and there are happy endings all around. The TV series was one of my favorites, especially as the years went by and the children grew a little older.

Tomorrow I plan to watch Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (the original from the 1970s) which I love. Yes, I own the DVD and I have no little children around... and your point is??? I miss the 70s, a great decade. ;)

I've also watched Muppet Christmas Carol recently on TV. I taught Dicken's A Christmas Carol our last year in a homeschool co-op and had the teenagers watch the movie. They loved it. No one does a better Mrs. Cratchett than Miss Piggy.

Christmas Reading

I pulled a few books off the shelf, dusted them off, and now have them stacked to enjoy from Thanksgiving through New Years (and perhaps beyond). They are...

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus edited by Nancy Guthrie - This is an advent devotional that I used last year and gladly pulled out again. I can't remember who recommended it but it's wonderful. Nancy Guthrie explains that she wrote the kind of advent book she wanted to read with chapters by Puritans, Augustine, Francis Schaeffer, John Piper, all the way through to the final chapter by Joni Erickson Tada. Love this one, highly recommend it.

Winter Song Christmas Readings by Madeleine L'Engle & Luci Shaw - This book is similar to a devotional in that it contains poetry and prose by two favorite authors and takes one through the end of autumn through Advent. If you like L'Engle and Shaw, you'll love this book. I'm not really using it as an advent devotional so much as enjoying the writings for the Season.

No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read - Just the loveliest Christmas story about a young English woman who never married who is called upon to help her brother and his family out at Christmas. Miss Read has two or three other Christmas books which I have read in the past but don't own (but I should look for at the library). I have re-read this one at Christmas the past few years. I've read some other Miss Read books and hope to read more in the future.

Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon - I think this is my favorite Mitford book. I've also re-read it each Christmas since it was published. Even though it is part of the series, it can also be enjoyed as a stand alone novel. Father Tim purchases an old and battered nativity set (LARGE set) and works to restore it as a gift to his wife. There are the usual subplots of Mitford characters which add warmth and depth.

A Cup of Christmas Tea by Tom Hegg - It takes just a few minutes to read this little story about a man who visits his elderly great aunt and rediscovers the Christmas of his childhood. A lovely little classic!

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - What can I say, one of the best books ever written. When I taught the book to my class, I had it read aloud as it should be. I loved how even the teenage guys became enthralled with the characters. One of them told me it sparked his interest to read other Dickens' novels.

Did you know in the Christmas song "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year", when they talked about "scary ghost stories" they were talking about this book? For years I wondered what ghost stories had to do with Christmas and when I found that out, it answered a lot of questions. :)

The Dean's Watch by Elizabeth Goudge - I'm hoping to get to this book in December, otherwise it is on my January list to re-read. While not technically a Christmas book, it takes place around Christmas and I felt like I was in an English village in December. It's a story of Redemption, which is what Christmas is all about.

By the way, A City of Bells also have lovely Christmas scenes in it. I just read it again last month and I still smile as I think of it again.

I used to re-read a few Edith Schaeffer books in December... especially The Tapestry and her two books of letters (With Love, Edith and Dear Family). While I no longer read them around Christmas, I do re-read these autobiographical books and a few other nonfiction books each year as I have time. She was the most influential author in my life as a young wife and mother and has remained so through the years.

I also have a stack of Victoria Christmas books and a few other Christmas decorating books to peruse (most purchased at library sales). I also love to read the Christmas issues of favorite magazines.

I only own a couple specifically Christmas cookbooks but both are favorites...

My newest such book is Holiday Fare: Favorite Williamsburg Recipes by John Gonzales (the chef Stephanie and I took the cooking class from in Williamsburg). I wrote about it recently but it does have many, many good recipes in it which I would serve all year. The pictures of Colonial Williamsburg at Christmas makes me want to visit again.

The book I've had for years now and LOVE is called Christmas Thyme at Oak Hill Farm by Marge Clark (a long ago gift from my sister-friend, BeBe). It is a fabulous book, especially for those of us who love herbs and all things tea time. It contains lots of wonderful recipes and beautiful pictures, a book I highly recommend. It is one of my all time favorite recipe books.

Marge unexpectedly left us a few years ago in a car accident but I always felt I knew her through this book and her cookbook The Best of Thymes, which I go back to all the time for recipes using favorite herbs. Both are written with her chatty prose in addition to recipes.

Hmmm... no wonder that stack of books looks like it is going to fall over soon.

Comments Q & A and links

2011-11-29T09:54:00.001-05:00

The above picture... my buffet this year. I think it has a Victoria feel about it. :)

I was admiring some of the decorating last night and thinking how it has changed over the years and then the thought came to me as to WHY... there are no small children or teenage boys around to break things. All but the little elf container on the lower right side of the picture (a vintage family heirloom of hubby's) came from thrifting, garage sales, or on clearance shelves.

Do you like the teacup? It is the only Christmas teacup I own and I saw a tiny Christmas tree displayed this way in a magazine. It took about two seconds to decide I would do the same thing this year.

I've skimmed through a few comments and I'll try to answer those I can.

First ... a couple of links. You know how I fell in love with Colonial Williamsburg? A sweet blogger sent me a link to her Colonial Williamsburg pictures... here. She is fortunate to live near enough to visit often. By the way, her blog is great!

Also, I've decided I'm going to make these Christmas yo-yo's which Karen Andreola shared... here. I have a lot of small pieces of Christmas fabric... perfect! I also love Karen's blog but then again... she is one of my favorite authors so it's not surprising.

Yes... I did get that flu shot on Monday. I thought it helped me a lot last year but we'll see how it goes this year. My sister, Bonnie, avoids them like the proverbial plague after getting very sick from her shot a few years ago.

This picture is Family Circle by Lee Stroncek. It was our Christmas card one year and I saved one to frame. I've since tried to locate a print but all I could find (at the time) was the puzzle version.

I make tea with my fresh herbs (in this case, lemon balm) by unceremoniously slipping a large handful of leaves that I've torn apart into the tea pot and pouring water from the kettle (which has just sung to let me know it was ready) over them. This teapot makes about three or four cups. I let the fresh leaves brew about four or five minutes.

To prepare my fresh herbs for either drying or to use immediately in tea, I fill the sink with cold water and put a big splash of vinegar in it. I then put all my stalks of herbs in it and let soak about five minutes. It will also soak an hour without hurting them if one forgets but it takes longer to dry... ask me how I know. ;)

(If I can't do this immediately after cutting them in the herb garden, I rinse them off really good and lay them on the dish drainer until they can have their vinegar-water bath.)

I then look over each one to make sure any rotten leaves are detached, as well as any dead bugs which may have clung to the leaves (the vinegar in the water is suppose to help clean the herbs, or so I have read). I then shake off excess water and lay them out on a big, dry towel. It gets rolled up to absorb all the excess water until I can get back to them (sometimes a few hours).

I then take a towel to the kitchen to dry everywhere the water went when I shook the stems.

If they are to get dried, I bundle them together and tie with a rubber band at the top. I hang them from a hanger on my shower that is never used. Right now I have the last of the apple mint still hanging and I cut off some for tea (but it is far better to put them in containers as they shed all over your floor).

This biscotti jar used to be filled with cookies all the time. I figured it deserved cookie cutters in its' retirement. This is a large jar but I've seen pictures of a smaller version filled with pretty cupcake liners of various prints. This jar has a collection of new and vintage cutters.

Yes, that is an old (very long) drawer that holds the oils and other kitchen items. I love the way it looks and it is very practical. Sometimes I think my decorating style is "Early Fleamarket".

Last... but certainly not least... a little more brown transferware chatting. In researching the china, I've seen a lot of discussions about the way the new patterns are different than the vintage dishes. So many seem to regret they have to "settle" for the newer transferware.

Yes, for the most part they are not as delicate (that gorgeous "feel" of vintage bone china) but I do have to say there are good points in their favor.

Although I have to wash all my dishes by hand regardless... the new dishes can be put in the dishwasher. I certainly would not do so with the vintage items. My teapot and tray are new, as are one set of bowls and two mugs from Churchill. I think they look just fine and are much more practical if you have a young family.

I read an interesting article about brown transferware in an old Victoria magazine recently. It said the brown color was the least favored of any of the transferware before the earth tone colors became more popular in America. That was from a 1990's issue and they seem to have become even more popular now.

I plan to... Lord willing and the creek don't rise (or get frozen)... be back soon with a couple book posts.

Don't forget to check out the two blog links I wrote about near the top of this (LONG) post.

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2011-11-27T04:00:00.000-05:00

I have been re-posting this the Sunday after Thanksgiving (or just before) for years. :)

I remember coming to the end of a Christmas season about ten or twelve years ago and wondering at my frustration.

There were no severe money trials that season, nothing that should have kept me from enjoying Christmas but... I couldn't put my finger on it... there was this sense of a lack of satisfaction... an unsettled feeling.

Soon after that, I was reading an article (magazine... book?) about this very thing. In it, the author said she learned to write out what it was she wanted from the Christmas season, what was most important to her. When I started doing that, I realized why the previous season had been lacking in joy.

It had been a rushed Christmas, the "doing" of many activities I felt I should do and not "being" the person I wanted to be that Season. My frustrations stemmed from a lack of getting away, alone beside my Christmas tree, enjoying that which comes from prayer and study and reading of books. I also had not said "no" to some outside activities that did not bring peace and joy.

Since that time, I have enjoyed making a list each season. My list has changed since that time due to health and finances but only in the "big" things. My list back then included attending a Christmas concert that I loved each year. However, it became too expensive even when we did have a regular income. It wasn't that much of a priority that I'd spend more for tickets to a concert then I would on a week's worth of groceries.

Another item on my list that has gone by the wayside is hosting a big Christmas party. I loved decorating the house and having a lot of people over but that season is now behind me.

I remember one very magic (Narnia magic) party in our former house when we invited over Stephanie's college group. There was a tree in the family room and one in the living room, a fire was burning in the fire place, food placed in various areas, conversations were going on in many rooms of the house.

Later that night, as the young people were leaving, one student came up to tell me that night will be one of his "perfect Christmas memories" when he leaves college. It is one of my perfect memories, too. :)

I have found by making a list of those things I love about Christmas, I can make certain what means the most to me (and for my family) becomes a priority for time and money. Here are a few for this year, written out on paper before transferring to my scrapbook journal. Of course, I can't do them all but any of them on the "wish list" would make my season bright.

Decorating the house with my snowman collection
Carefully placing all my ornaments on the tree
Morning quiet times in the dark, with the tree lit
A breakfast out at Cracker Barrel during Christmas
Lunch with the guys at our favorite cafeteria
Holiday Baking
Candy Cane Lane tea
Listening to the music of the season
Watching favorite Christmas movies
Reading favorite Christmas books
Seeing what yummies The Food Channel comes up with this year
One or two Pumpkin Spice Latte's to enjoy
A morning at Panera sipping coffee and writing a real letter
Visit my sister, Bonnie, to see how she decorated her place (she has that wow factor)
Send Christmas cards to our elderly aunties
Visit my favorite "downtown" primitive country store... breath in the scents, no purchase necessary (although this is where I buy small candles for the season when possible).

Most of my list this year involves more solitude than in the past. It has been that kind of year. None require much money.

This is only a way of thinking through what brings joy... and peace... and faith... and what lifts my thoughts to the One Who Made Me.

Little satisfactions in the most wondrous and magical time of the year.

I encourage you to brew a little pot of tea and fill your favorite tea cup, bring along a notebook and pen, light the Christmas tree if you have one, and think about those things that bring joy to your heart at Christmas. Are you making time for them? Did you budget for them through the year? What makes your heart sing with gladness?

You don't need to do them all, just choose a few that will cause you to look back at this Christmas and smile... and remember, Christmas is not about the price of gifts or how many are given, it is about the Giver of all gifts.

Feeling a little better

2011-11-26T09:08:00.001-05:00

I was able to pull together a small Thanksgiving dinner Friday evening with a turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and just canned green beans and corn. I had made a pumpkin pie already before getting sick.

Christopher spent the afternoon here resting and working on a project (being a computer science student, he can do some of it on his laptop and finish the rest at the lab). That meant he was also able to enjoy a second (albeit much smaller) Thanksgiving dinner with us before returning to campus. He said he was still full from the feast he had with M.'s family the day before but he ended up with three helpings (my husband says it's my gravy they can't get enough of...).

The turkey was an answer to prayer. Finances have been really tight this year and we had prayed for a turkey. Hubby went to a food pantry at a local church last Sunday afternoon and brought home a TURKEY. Much rejoicing and appreciation... especially as one knows all they have comes from Him.

I was telling the retinal specialist (as I thanked him for taking patients from the clinic for only $5.00) that we never expected to end up in our financial position when hubby was working on a Master's Degree and worked as an engineer but "life happened". At one time we were very financially secure and then hubby's illness started getting to the point he could no longer hold a job. We went through all our savings and the equity in our former house.

Sometimes I do get frustrated but then I look around and know I really can't complain, He has made my boundaries in pleasant places. Of course, my theology is Reformed enough that I believe all that comes our way first goes through His hands. I often ask Him what I'm to learn from this... what I can share with others experiencing difficult times.

That has only come from years of walking with He who is Peace and seeing what He has done over the years. Instead of being all cranky and such... there are times I wake up wondering what He is going to do that day.

I have watched Him... when I was in the midst of such troubles that I had to remind myself to breath it hurt so much... perform miracles which could only come from an eternal and infinite and loving God... three in One... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Life with Him is far from boring. :)

Yes, I do have to be very careful as having a chronic illness means an impaired immune system. I had just been to my three month doctor's checkup on Monday and received a flu shot for influenza. This milder flu has been going around and both hubby and Christopher had it earlier. It seems to run its' course in a few days. I'm quite tired but better.

Today the weather is unusually warm for November so I'm going to make an attempt to further clear the garden for winter. The forecast is for much colder weather and snow coming in soon. Hubby's collar bone is healing enough to do some outside work today, too. I'll let the turkey stock simmer on the stove and plan leftovers for dinner. :)

Oh... I will try to write a Q & A post next week for all the questions in Comments.

Picture: Word of the Lord; allposters.com

Flu...

2011-11-25T10:56:00.001-05:00

The flu has been going around our community and found its' way to me on Wednesday!

I had returned home from an appointment with the retinal specialist (he is monitoring the damage caused by diabetes to my eyes) and wasn't feeling great but not sick. Then within a couple of hours I suddenly felt like the proverbial truck had hit and the room was spinning around!

Thanksgiving was spent on the sofa with canned chicken noodle soup and crackers and way too much TV (don't get me started on the way Black Friday is taking over the Thanksgiving holiday~).

I'm feeling just a little better today so we'll have a very simple turkey dinner in late afternoon. Hopefully all will be better soon.

Back to the sofa. :)

Happy Birthday Christopher

2011-11-22T18:29:00.001-05:00

This is a picture from a few years ago when Christopher was still fencing. I spent many an evening sitting and reading and waiting while he fenced.

He asked me recently what haircut he's ever had I liked best. I told him it was the one he had the last year of fencing, when it was long and tied back. I also reminded him I came of age in the early 1970s when men's hairstyles tended to look like Jesus. Some preferences just stick with you.

Oh... my son is the one on the left.

When you think you have nothing to give

2011-11-21T16:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I reposted what I wrote two or three years ago about how to help those in need. This post is the other half of that original post... for those who feel they have nothing they can give others.

In our materialistic society, we most often think we have to make a purchase to give or the gift is will not be appreciated. Actually, I have found that not to be true in most cases. Yes, there are those around who may not appreciate fresh baked cookies but let's be honest... do you want those people as friends? So they are family and you are stuck with them... pray for their materialism and offer them a cookie, anyway. They may learn someday.

Here are some ways I've learned to be a giver, even with a very limited income...

When I do have "extra" cash, I stock the pantry (shelves, frig, deep freeze) with simple items which... when mixed together... create magic (Narnia magic). Isn't it absolutely remarkable the number of recipes which can be made from: eggs, butter, milk or cream, various sugars, flour, flavor extracts, nuts, dried fruit, yeast, etc.?

Throughout the year I'm always looking for inexpensive containers, suitable for giving gifts of baked goods. For instance, last year I hit a clearance sale at Wal Mart and purchased a couple dozen pretty red trays for a dime each. I gave many of them to Stephanie as a gift since she often takes baked goods to people.

When I can get a good deal on fresh fruits, I like to "can" jellies and jams. People love these.

A blog friend sent me honey and homemade soap from her farm... LOVED it!

Other gifts I give with little or no money:

Books from the book sales or purchased with Amazon credit.
Items purchased at garage sales and while thrifting that I know people would love.
A pretty mug or teacup from my own collection with a box of favorite tea or hot chocolate.
A basket filled with a favorite snack (like puppy chow... yum) made "from scratch".

I used to make teddy bears, angels, small quilts, and other sewn items.
My first gift to my husband (before he was my husband) was a crocheted scarf... which he still has. :)
I've given a gift of recipe cards written with favorite family recipes.
My daughter received a "cookbook" from our good friend for a wedding gift that she had written with their favorite recipes... all printed from her computer.

Stuff to do as gifts

Offer to babysit the kiddies.
Sit with an elderly or ill person so their caregiver can get relief.
Read to someone who can't read for themselves... young or old.
Offer to scrub a floor or paint a room.
Trim bushes and trees for someone who can no longer get around easily.

Put up a Christmas tree for a friend who is not handy about such things.
Share extra decorations (that you no longer need or want) with a friend who has none.
Hang the Christmas lights for the elderly neighbor who can no longer hang them.

Write letters to people who would love to hear from you.
Send a pretty card to an elderly relative or friend.
Give forgiveness to someone who needs to hear those words.

Listen to a teenager, really listen.
Ask an elderly relative to share family history and write it down.
Collect family recipes and type them into the computer... give copies to loved ones.

Encourage your children to draw pictures for Grandma and Grandpa... and send them.

If you have a green thumb, take starts from your flowers (in season) and start them in your home, give to a neighbor or family member when they are ready.

Yes, it takes creative thinking but you can give... even if it a prayer.

Picture: End of the Harvest: allposters.com

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2011-11-20T04:00:00.000-05:00

While I love the glitz and glitter of the Christmas Season, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the tradition, the food, and the very images it brings to mind (not to mention the scents from the kitchen). Except for Independence Day, Thanksgiving is the most American of holidays (okay, Canada has its' own Thanksgiving, too).

I loved the time we were homeschooling the early years and we would take a break from our usual studies to spend time with the Pilgrims and the Puritans and the other early settlements of our country. What better time to talk about the quest for religious freedom and the Christian foundation of America... not done perfectly, of course... by men and women with sinful natures... but at least with an intent to honor God.

This will be our first Thanksgiving alone as our son will be out of town celebrating the day with his fiance and her family. We have come a long way from the time we were newlyweds at my in-laws, through the years of traveling with one child to the in-laws each year, having another child join us much later, and then family Thanksgiving celebrations at our home after my mother-in-law passed on.

How quickly the years pass, which is why I have such a passion about traditions and the importance of passing down a legacy to the next generation. We don't realize as time is passing... hour by hour and day by day... that the opportunity to share what is important must be accomplished in our everyday life... that "precept upon precept" way of passing down what we know and love to those for whom we will pass the baton of family life.

Especially for those of us who hold to our faith as the center of all we do. Those who know there is Someone to give our thanks. If we allow the society in which we live and the media that is constantly bombarding us with its' images to become the teacher of our next generation... how will they learn what is important to our family... to our faith... to our heritage?

This may be the Season which inspires one to write the family stories and share the recipes and call the elders still among us to tell us accounts of times past. I love tying on an apron and putting together a recipe which I can remember my mother making... and to know a thousand miles away there is a little girl helping her mother (and paternal grandmother) make the traditional recipes.

If we wait for the perfect time then we will look back and realize the children are grown and the elders not with us to share the recipes and the stories and the laughter. There are no perfect people and (outside of a Norman Rockwell painting) no perfect families. But there is quite a lot one can do given the limitations of imperfection to create memories for family and friends.

I've been reading through the prayers in Valley of Vision these past few days which have such a Thanksgiving feel about them (as they were written by Puritans). At one time, sitting in a crowded McDonald's on campus and reading prayers from the long distant past... looking around and wondering how many of the young people were still taught the wonderful stories of bravery and faith in a time we need heroes.

Is my Thanksgiving perfect? Far from it! But lessons learned from the past reminds me there are many things to be thankful for even in the midst of an imperfect life. It isn't Heaven, yet... but our attitudes of thankfulness in the midst of the imperfect bring a little bit of Heaven into our life when we need it most.

Being a blessing during the Holidays

2011-11-18T12:54:00.001-05:00

Two or three years ago, I was asked to write about helping those in need at Christmas. That post had so many responses, I thought I'd post it again as the economy has not become any better.

Most likely, you have friends or family who are going through financial stress. (Next week I'll revisit the "sister post"... how you can give this Season when you think you have nothing to give.)

I can not begin to tell you what your giving may do for an individual or family. Don't ever underestimate giving... whether a small amount or a larger gift. You are the hands of God in another's life for you are the answer to prayer.

Your gift may keep another from the depths of despair and help them realize God loves them enough to place their needs on another's heart.

- Don't ever feel you will offend someone by giving. Many people in this economy are praying for help and you may just be the answer to those prayers.

- Don't assume everyone is getting government help, most are not. Even if they do receive some government assistance, it usually is not very much... at least with the people I've known.

- Don't judge those who are in need. There for the grace of God Himself... you may be someday.

- Even if another person or family is in need because of their own actions... remember the children. There are ways to directly help the kids.

How can you help?

- Cash, money orders, gift cards, wrapped gifts... all are good in different circumstances.

- Cash or a gas station gift card are always needed by those in need.

- Moms and Dads with limited (or no) income would love a chance to shop for their kids gifts. By giving a gift card as early as this week, you will be the answer to a parent's prayer.

- If you are concerned about your gift going to the children, offer to take a parent (or older sibling) shopping and hand them a gift card to the store when you arrive or pay for the items yourself - or- shop for groceries or give a gift of a grocery store gift card (some stores will not allow alcohol to be purchased with gift cards).

-If you know what a person loves, give them a wrapped gift. So many people in need have nothing under the tree Christmas morning.

- If you want to give a gift of cash but remain anonymous, ask your pastor if the church can act as a "middle man"... you give the check to the church and then they cut a check for the family. We received a couple of gifts like this in past years. Of course, we spent the day wondering who the giver was. :)

- Otherwise... don't worry about being anonymous.

- Provide a gift subscription to their favorite magazine which they will enjoy each time it arrives.

- If a family in need are close friends whose company you enjoy (and they enjoy spending time with you), then take them out for a special meal together. Let them know ahead of time that you will be paying and that their friendship is the only gift you want from them. If needed, provide a babysitter. :)

-Even fast food gift cards are wonderful for those with limited income.

- Elderly friends would love a gift of service... mowing the lawn or clearing snow off the walkway; a few baked goods; an offer to drive them when needed; an offer to fix something broken around the house (if you have skills)... often their needs may not require money but someone with more physical ability and youth. :)

- Purchase tickets to a special concert or the Nutcracker Ballet for those who love music.

- Teenagers would love a gift card or certificate to their favorite clothing store, which will go even farther in after Christmas sales.

- If you want to go together with more people to assemble a huge blessing... a wonderful gift is to put together a few gift cards... examples: a grocery store, a favorite restaurant, Target, Meijer, or Wal Mart, a bookstore or Amazon (if you know they have computer access), a favorite coffee shop, a movie theater, gas station, hobby or sewing shop, gourmet or tea shop, etc.

- Never ever think a gift is too small. Even $5.00 placed in a card may provide milk for the children.

- Of course, it is so much fun to do the shopping yourself for others and arrive at their home with the gifts already wrapped.

- Give a gift to a friend's pet from your own... kibble, canned food, and kitty litter are always welcome (although in the case of pets, it is a good thing to ask what brands they use since some animals only eat what they are used to... a lot like teenagers).

- Remember strangers this time of year. Many homeless shelters have programs where people can give practical "gifts" to those in need. Quite often the Salvation Army can help locate a good place to give. Also, pastors and youth leaders often know specific needs where you can give while remaining anonymous.

- We loved to assemble the Christmas Shoeboxes when Christopher was younger. Most cities have various Angel Trees and similar programs to purchase for families in need.

I must admit it is more fun to be the person doing the giving. When we had the opportunity, I loved putting together something fun for friends going through a hard time. :)

Our Story within His Story (repeat)

2011-11-17T15:14:00.001-05:00

I was looking through some past posts and came across this one. I thought it appropriate with the pondering of literature lately... :)

My mind has been on books and words recently (can't you tell?). I love just the word literature... how it rolls on the tongue when one says it... not so much when the word is but a thought... but still good.

God has placed us in a Story, His-story. How amazing and humbling it is as a finite human to be part of the rolling thunder of His literature... His-story.

I often wonder what it is about the Age which is to come that makes us so worth it all.

Worth his coming and death on the cross and resurrection and living as God in man's flesh for thirty-three years.

We see in a glass darkly here and unlike a book which can be held in our hands, we cannot peruse through and read the last page to see how it all ends.

We... by faith in the Author... knows it all turns out for our good and His glory... but when living the Story there are times we... wonder.

A novel written by one who has been greatly gifted in words often grips us from the beginning paragraph, takes us to places we did not expect, and leaves us knowing ourselves better than before we spent sleepy nights unable to put the book down to sleep.

Some are simply quick reads which give us mental vacations in the midst of the reality of life. Others... the Russian novelists, Dickens, Austen... invite us into the real life aspects of other humans living on this planet in the midst of a fallen world... and we meet ourselves in their pages.

Then there are those such as... Tolkien, Lewis, L'Engle... who take us to worlds of delight and perhaps what the world would be and could be if it were not fallen... traveling through space and time, Eden on other planets, talking beavers and lions and magic formed before time was written, life amidst the stars, Hobbit houses and Kingdoms built into rock... and we meet ourselves in their pages.

I mentioned to my husband this week that it is best to realize life is never going to be Perfect on this planet. That it should not come as any surprise when we meet challenges along the way. The Book... the only true Book... the Book which contains within its' pages the infinite in the finite world... it tells us there will be tribulation in this world... big "T" and little "t".

This past week, I listened as a much loved one was talking over the phone, challenges in their life and decisions to be made which will change the way in which their future will look. There are great disappointments which were not expected, choices to be made between two equally desired needs for time to be spent, knowing each choice will disappoint and perhaps anger another.

I remind them of their priorities in spite of disappointments and I hear a sigh, as the words are what they already instinctively know but do not want to hear. As I hang up the phone, I open the Book to the 8th Chapter of Romans and read... and read... and ponder... and pray... for the one I love and myself... that our story become His story as written for each of us.

Is that part of my love for literature? That I can be taken into another world and someone's story and within the pages... look upon their life and their choices and their decisions and their thoughts... and see it all wrapped up neatly within the covers... hopefully with a happy ending.

Certainly there is the aspect of literature which takes us to places we cannot go and we meet people we could never meet in person. Whether animals which speak with wisdom or English maidens from centuries long ago or little old ladies who solve crimes while knitting in their parlor... books we hold in our hands add to our lives a little of the infinite in a finite world.

As for me and mine... all part of the great Story being written for the Ages... I must always remember the Author is in control regardless of the chaos of circumstances around my twenty-four hours of days. While all I see ahead is shrouded in a fog of the unknown... He knows and He guides and He will complete what He started.

That's what faith and hope are all about.

Picture: Time For Reading; allposters.com

Originally posted November, 2010

Nesting...

2011-11-16T11:19:00.000-05:00

Afternoon Light on the guest room side of "my new room"

Brewing the last of the season's lemon balm

Tweaking the buffet again

Kitchen Art

Dreaming of Christmas Cookies

Amazon and Goudge

2011-11-15T13:53:00.001-05:00

Okay, they really don't have anything to do with each other except I'm answering a couple of questions. :)

First, I was asked to explain how bloggers receive credit from Amazon.com again. Whenever you order from Amazon.com, if you click on any book or object within the blogger's Amazon widget (mine is called something like "My Recommendations"), then the blogger receives a small percent of whatever the purchase price is on an order.

It isn't much but it really can add up. I use mine to purchase books and items I normally could not afford. I know some of my blog friends use their credits for homeschooling books.

You are not charged extra at all, it is just something Amazon does as we're encouraging you to shop there with our widgets.... and they truly do offer great service. You don't have to order anything that is shown on the widget, you just have to "enter" Amazon.com by clicking on the widget (although I love the items I've recommended there).

You do have to re-enter Amazon through the widget each time you have completed your order. I hope that helps and hasn't confused you further.

As for Goudge... oh, I am embarrassed to offer much advice as I've only "discovered" her within the past couple of years. Although, I found out she was one of my late mother-in-law's favorite authors. I also wondered where to begin so I e-mailed a couple of my favorite writers and Goudge enthusiasts (who introduced me to her)... Lanier (who has written a lot about Goudge books) and Sarah... who offered advice.

It was suggested I begin with Pilgrim's Inn (called The Herb of Grace in England), which is the second of the Eliot trilogy but is also a "stand alone" novel. I adored the book! I read the first book in the trilogy later, called Bird In the Tree which is also lovely and offers an understanding of the events of Pilgrim's Inn... so I would recommend it. I haven't read, The Heart of the Family, which is the third in the trilogy but Stephanie did and said it didn't add much to the story. I will read it someday just to come full circle.

I do understand the reader who said she didn't care much for The Scent of Water. While it is one of my favorites, I do admit it can be very melancholic and a little Gothic. I think one of the reasons I like it is having lived with a husband who is bipolar now for a very long time and having a sister who was prone to depression. It deals with the subject beautifully.

Speaking of Gothic, at first after I finished The Middle Window, I didn't think I liked it much. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it is a truly Gothic novel with ghosts from the past and such. I think if I knew that to begin with, I'd have enjoyed it and not been rather confused. I don't own it or I would re-read the book, knowing more about what to expect.

I do own but have not read Green Dolphin Street, which if I understand is the only book of hers made into a movie. Personally, I thought the movie dreadfully depressing and then Stephanie told me the book is equally a downer. Right now I need encouragement so it is on the "to read someday maybe" mental list.

My favorite titles? It's a tie between A City of Bells and The Dean's Watch... both of which have become a part of me and my thinking... a sign of truly great literature.... to be read over and over. Although, I would definitely re-read Bird In the Tree and Pilgrim's Inn many times, too... and The Scent of Water so as it would not feel neglected.

Both A City of Bells and The Dean's Watch have story lines which remind me of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, to lovingly mold us and shape us as one would work with fine china to form us into the image of The One Who Created Us.

Stephanie says I have to read I Saw Three Ships, which I plan to see if the library has soon. It is one of her children's books with a Christmas theme.

Do I have a Goudge book I'm coveting to read? Oh, definitely Henerietta's House (aka: The Blue Hills) which is a children's book sequel to A City of Bells. But it cost almost $200 in paperback and nearly $300 in hardback used. I don't want any book that much!

I'd also love to read Towers In the Mist, which is the third of the City of Bells books. I'm hoping I can find it and the above book through inter-library loan.

I have some of her other books on my "Goudge shelf" to read soon... lovely titles just waiting to be delved into perhaps this winter... both fiction and nonfiction. I'll share more about those titles when I read them. I'd love to hear about your favorite Goudge books.

I am so thankful to have bibliophile friends recommend Goudge and D. E. Stevenson's books. They have been lovely additions to my reading.

Further ponderings on house and home

2011-11-14T11:28:00.000-05:00

My mother's world was not one of silver and crystal and fine china. Although I know my grandmother and aunt were of southern gentility. Mother eloped at age fifteen... ever the one who marched to the beat of a different drum. Which I both loved and regretted about her. What my mother may have lacked in homemaking skills was far outdone with her ability to love her children.

I suppose there was, in my DNA, that enjoyment of the lovely which came from a previous generation... along with an inherited love of Celtic and Bluegrass music. Having been born the "ours" in a "yours, mine, and ours" family and when both parents were already in their forties, most of those who came before me were already gone by the time I cared to know them... but there were the wistful memories of my mother as she shared a little here and there.

I say this only as a foundation that I didn't grow up with formal Sunday dinners, tea time, or to be honest.... evening meals together. I think it was the inspiration of the old Victoria magazines, read as a young mother, which inspired me to a love of beautiful tablescapes, tea time, gleaning silver, and enhanced my already passion for old books. I owned my wedding china, which came out for the Holidays but otherwise thought such beauty was beyond my everyday life.

I had this idea that if one was not born to the manor... one could not enjoy such as a middle class Midwestern American maker of the home. But I had forgotten the magic (Narnia magic, of course) which comes from reading those things which we are attracted to whether lovely literature or beautiful magazines or powerful Christian biography.

What I read became a part of me and inspired me towards the life I desired... Godly desires as opposed to greed and coveting... just the knowing what else was there in this world and how I could incorporate the Traditions and Beauty of others into my own sphere of influence.

Travel can have that influence on a person, as well as living in an area where one was not raised. I was inspired by the years we lived in a community filled with Beauty, where Stephanie was raised among cobblestone streets and windmills and fairy tale parks and boardwalks by the lake and the cute children's bookstore and lovely little places to stop for a snack or meal. Where one ate from delft china and was surrounded by flowers after the time of the long winter.

I began to understand that the need for Beauty and Loveliness within me was part of the maturing into the woman God had made me all along. No more or less than my love of old books led me to great men and women of the Faith. There came a time... gradually and not one specific day... in which I realized the desire for that which is Lovely could become a part of my love of thrifting.

My teapot collection began with a gift from my daughter, the first fine china teacup and saucer was a thank you gift from a person I had befriended at a former church, my first silver teapot was found dusty and tarnished (and cheap) in the corner of an antique mall, beautiful vintage linens were often a dime or a quarter apiece at garage sales as well as a lovely "old" apron here and there.

Just as when one begins to collect any item (such as china or teacups), one's eyes rest upon them when perusing over tables at a thrift shop... one begins to decorate their home in such a way to make their heart sing and a warm and cozy place for their family (which is why we must always... as collectors and thrift store aficionados... be careful of clutter).

I truly believe what we find Beautiful is as individual as the way God created each person so that their fingerprints are unique among the billions of people alive and having already passed on. I remember visiting a very expensive home where we took part in a Bible study and thinking I could never be comfortable there but my hostess loved her home. At the same time, I love visiting my sister's apartment as we share a passion for primitive country but I'm not into Victorian as she is... but I can admire the Beauty she creates.

I once made a list (in my scrapbook journal) of those things in a home that makes me happy. Among the list were pretty tea things, dutch lace curtains, green plants, geraniums, roses, daisies, herbs, beautiful artwork, family photos, homemade objects, silver (which is jewelry for the house), flowers, bookshelves filled with lovely books, vintage kitchen items,etc. and I have spent years decorating by puttering and tweaking and finding precious items at little cost.

My tastes have changed through the years but I'd say not so much in a completely different way of decorating my home but more a layer upon layer... tweaking by adding and taking away a little here and little there... as I have grown older.

Our home is our canvas and we are but artists here on this fallen of planets... hopefully making our abode a little bit of heaven on earth... never perfectly, of course. Everything we do here is but a shadow of that Perfection which is to come and of that Home which is being built by He who knows us best and loves of most. I can hardly wait to see that House.

So... as you can see my ponderings continue to be on Home and Tradition and once in awhile on Life Is What You Make It and Holidays and Family and Old Books. I hope to put thoughts from ~~pen~~ mouse to ~~paper~~ computer as I continue to ponder.

Picture: Season of Peace; allposters.com

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2011-11-13T13:37:00.000-05:00

The blustery days of this past week have pretty much taken most of the leaves from the trees. It now looks and feels like November. Which has brought with it some fall housecleaning... both heavy duty and of the puttering kind.

For instance, along with organizing the garage I've been tweaking the tall bookshelves in the living room, thinking about places like Oxford, and pondering the coming Holidays, looking through some old Victorias which are kept in two vintage suitcases (the kind one would take while riding The Orient Express), and snuggling on the living room sofa at the end of the day re-reading A City of Bells... as with my cleaning, just a little at a time.

This rather unusual wafting of thoughts through my mind came together in ponderings about Traditions and all that is Lovely and how one can Create a room to reflect the person one has become. Now that it is that time of year when what is inside a house takes new importance and the Holidays are nearer on our calendar.

As I wrote last week, my house is decorated in a very Mole-ish way. Although I have great respect for Martha's ability to teach me the techniques of cooking and cleaning... it is definitely in the spirit of Mole that I find my style... you know, the candle light and the old books and the cushy chairs and the throws and pictures of family here and about.

Mole would definitely keep old copies of favorite reading materials in vintage suitcases while his more explorative friends would fill them with clothing and be off on another adventure. I would hope when my friends and family are experiencing far off places... they think fondly of my little home and the day they will once again share from the larder.

I think I will continue to ponder the mysteries of life such as our need for Tradition and having a Place and Becoming and Holidays. They will (hopefully) take thought and then words for another Sunday. But this weekend, I'm still thinking of Mole and Home and being cozy and peaceful inside as the winds are raging through the forest.

I have finished re-reading my book and now feel the need to pull White Christmas off the shelves... dust it off... make some popcorn and hot chocolate with just a few marshmallows (mini, of course)... and enjoy another time and place...where only old movies can take us.

Book Love

2011-11-12T10:03:00.001-05:00

"... said Grandfather. "In my experience when people once begin to read they go on. They begin because they think they ought to and they go on because they must. Yes. They find it widens life. We're all greedy for life, you know, and our short span of existence can't give us all that we hunger for, the time is too short and our capacity not large enough. But in books we experience all life vicariously."

A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge

Happy Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T13:12:00.001-05:00

The grandchildren sent a "Happy Veteran's Day" text to Granddad early this morning. That made him very happy. He would have texted back but being an ~~old~~ mature Vet... he has figured out e-mail but not texting. :)

So... thank you to all the brave men and women who have served their country. Whether in war (like hubby) or in the military during the war (like my friend, Linda and her hubby).

We had our first snowfall yesterday, nothing to write home about but it did accumulate on the deck. Hubby and I are still working on organizing the garage. We're taking a break later to take advantage of Applebee's free meal for vets. He budgeted funds for me to be able to go with him as long as I don't get anything expensive. Reminds me of when we were dating.

I'm dangling that in front of me like the proverbial carrot to keep working on that garage... work a little and rest a little and work a little, etc.

Wind and Goudge

2011-11-10T09:23:00.001-05:00

I have loved reading your comments on the Nesting post (here). Please feel free to continue commenting on it, I'd love to hear how your nesting is more Mole than Martha. :)

I have been under the weather... literally. I think it was a combination of trying to do too much earlier in the week and the huge weather changes yesterday, which came with a blustery wind and plunging temperatures. I was suppose to meet with two friends from my old neighborhood but I couldn't... sometimes life happens. I am feeling much better today.

I had just placed a pillow on the front room sofa when Stephanie called. I told her how I felt (well, she asked!) and her recommendations were sofa and Goudge. Which, of course, made me smile as I not only had my fluffed up pillow on the sofa but my copy of A City of Bells lay beside me on the coffee table. Yes, it did receive my full attention after the phone call.

Reading Goudge while comfy on the sofa as the rain was beating against the window... very cozy. Perhaps the only thing which would have helped was having someone bring me a cup of tea. I just may have to ask for apple cider or herbal tea K-cups for Christmas... that way hubby could actually make a cup for me. (His idea of making tea for himself is nuking a mug of water and throwing in a tea bag... sigh.)

I had originally rebelled at the idea of tea made in K-cups... except my daughter who has five children and doesn't have time to make a proper cup in a teapot most days says it is quite delicious. I tried the herbal tea K-cups at her house and I was gifted with apple cider K-cups... both surprisingly yummy. (I have to have my caffeine fix only in the mornings and go caffeine free later in the day!)

Hubby is beginning to nicely recover although being fully warned by his doctor at the local VA Clinic that tests show he has osteoporosis and not to put himself in danger of falling. He was working on organizing the garage yesterday and I couldn't help. I had previously started organizing it when he could not help. Hopefully we can work together soon and get it all nicely organized before dreadfully cold winter sets in. :)

Picture: Raking Leaves; allposters.com

Nesting...

2011-11-08T13:03:00.000-05:00

There was an article in the old Victoria magazine where the author said they prefer decorating like Mole rather than Martha. That being Mole of The Wind in the Willows and Martha being Stewart.

I feel exactly the same way, which is why once the cold winds begin to blow through the forest, I start adding layers to the inside rooms... candles in various corners... warm throws draped over the arms of chairs... and piles upon piles of books and magazines within an easy reach (neat piles, of course).

I imagine the outside of my home no longer a brick ranch style but rather a stone English cottage with old moss or perhaps the previous home of a Hobbit and the front door in which Victoria makes continuous attempts to slip by is round rather than rectangular. Either kind of house would welcome such decorative tweaking in November.

My favorite lavender soft wool sweater (brought back from Ireland by my daughter when Elisabeth was a baby) is now available to slip on when it gets a little chilly. Something I'm learning from my beloved British novels (as opposed to increasing the heat with the thermostat).

I loved a comment which said the reader had been inspired to have "nice things" in her home by reading my blog. It doesn't cost much at all when one learns how to shop the right places. For me at this time of my journey we're talking thrift stores and such but there are other places one can save.

For instance, I was reading a Holiday issue of a magazine where they showed the same Friendly Village teapot I have as part of a pretty tablescape. They paid something like $169.00 for their teapot... mine was around $42.00 on Amazon. I saved up Amazon credit for it (thank you!!!).

Someone asked about the pretty Friendly Village Bless This House Bread Tray. It's only $26.00 on Amazon... far from the price of a similar brown transferware tray shown in the magazine (albeit the other was larger). My beautiful platter was a gift. It may be hung on a wall for year round display. It does remind one of a Miss Read village, doesn't it?

I love how by surrounding ourselves with those objects that make us feel warm and cozy, we are creating an atmosphere in our home which brings us joy, peace, contentment, etc. Yes, I definitely am more Mole-ish than Martha, come to think of it. :)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2011-11-06T04:00:00.000-05:00

Autumn color came early this year... was spectacular in its' beauty... and now in the muted form has lasted an unusually long time. God's grace to at least one soul (mine) in these uncertain days.

Recently I was sitting in the car at the corner of a grocery store parking lot with a Starbuck's hot caramel apple spice drink in one hand and The Valley of Vision in the other. Some people find a quiet space in odd places, I know. :)

Normally I can lose myself in The Valley of Vision but that day I was distracted by my surroundings for in my line of sight were the grocery store where I have shopped (only when living in this area, of course) from the time I was a bride... the cafeteria that was my mother's favorite place to "eat out"... the Pizza Hut where we held many a family celebration... and a drive-in which looked very crowded as it was closing its' doors that day until the return of warmer weather.

Places of importance in the past with loved ones now grown up, or moved away, or gone on to their reward with Him.

As I sat there, I thought of the beauty that we have been experiencing these past weeks and had an idea why it is always mixed with melancholy. For it reminds us of the brevity of life at times. The leaves shed their summer greenery to display lavish clothing but just for a little while.

We find ourselves standing and gazing at the color which surrounds us, the golden days of trees as magnificent as any stained glass window made by man, and we know it can all be gone with the next big wind.

My thoughts that day in the car went back to childhood and that first real taste of death... of endings... of being cut off from one never to see him again at least this side of eternity.

I have said before that perhaps the greatest impact a traumatic experience has on us is the loss of innocence... knowing that, indeed, bad things happen to good people.

I think that's why children can bask in the piles of dead leaves with full joy and at the same time adults view the same leaves... on the ground and now drying as they are no longer attached to their source of life... with a sadness knowing the time of exuberant color is coming to an end and the quiet and cold of winter is near.

How like our Lord to create varieties of trees in such a way that they are at their most beautiful before they must let their leaves fall and sleep for the winter. I am in awe... not worshiping the creation for that would be as silly as standing before a Rembrandt painting and giving worship to it... but as the painting tells us something of the one which created it... nature points us to worship its' Creator.

It tells me I can trust Him even when I don't understand why the road has bends and curves and potholes and bumps. His Character is worth clinging to when I can't see where the road will end. I know the destination leads to One who does not only love... He is Love.

He is the Warmth in the winter, the Light of the lantern as the darkness surrounds, the Friend who sticks closer than a brother, the Word that explain it all, the Rest in the chaos, and the One Who holds us firm when the hurricane force winds of the stormy trials in our life are causing us to bend.

But perhaps the real lesson of autumn is this... He always brings us spring and renewal and life and Resurrection.

"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life...", Jesus.

Tweaking the china cabinet

2011-11-04T15:38:00.001-04:00

I promised a respite from "dish love" posts but I had to show you what a gift from a friend got started this week... a complete redo of the china cabinet!

Old Britain Castles brown transferware plate

Old Britain Castles brown transferware bowl (left) and bread & butter plate (right)

My friend, Kristi, gave me her lovely brown transferware from Johnson Brothers called Old Britain Castles. I just love it! It is everything I love about transferware and more. I don't think the brown transferware is being made anymore but a lighter pink version is on Amazon. I love this brown, though.

I decided to display the various brown transferware patterns on the two shelves (top photo). They mix and match perfectly.

I still have a few pieces displayed on the buffet, too. In this photo the platter is Johnson Bros Friendly Village, the mugs are Churchill's Vintage Game, and the bowl is Johnson Bros Old Britain Castles.

Thank you dear Kristi! I will cherish the dishes and take very good care of them.

Photos: They can be enlarged by the click of a mouse. :)

Further chat about engagement pictures

2011-11-03T12:52:00.000-04:00

As I wrote a friend, I started praying for each of my kid's future mates when they were infants. It all seemed so far away at that time! I was only twenty-three when Stephanie was born (a year after her brother passed away due to a premature birth) so even the thought of an in-law and grandchildren was strange... but I was so inspired by godly women like Edith Schaeffer, Elisabeth Elliot, Emilie Barnes, and Anne Ortlund to begin praying for them early. :)

These pictures are my favorites. There are also really cute pictures which show them in their university t-shirts, they go to in-state rivals so it is quite amusing. For their privacy, I didn't show any of those but they were hubby's favorites (being a real rah-rah guy for "our" college).

Yes... when one is in their sixth year of blogging it does seem like only yesterday when the son in question graduated from high school. Both of them will turn twenty-two before the wedding. M. is a senior this year and C. is a senior on paper but has to take a fifth year of college (due to his major).

As for my other child, son-in-law, and grandchildren... power has not been restored since the October winter storm went through last Saturday. All prayers would be appreciated. She says there are hundreds (thousands?) of trees down and many power lines. The crews are working 24/7 to fix them.

Engagement Pictures

2011-11-02T15:42:00.000-04:00

Grace...

2011-10-31T11:02:00.002-04:00

Summer, Autumn, and Winter trees... in one day

I have been thinking of grace this weekend, partly from the season and after reading some comments from the Sunday Afternoon Tea post. When thinking about the post, the words "Grace in the Grey Areas" circled around my head all day as if wanting to become an entire volume of thought.

They will not as there is much to do outside this week but I was reminded again of the need to live a life of grace... giving and taking... when it comes to those areas of faith which are not written in black and white. While there are those statements I hold absolute (the Virgin birth of Christ, the Resurrection, His being The Way and The Truth and The Life, etc.) some things are just not written in stone and we must be willing to give and take.

For instance, I chose not to read the Harry Potter books when Christopher was young but one of my very best friends at the time... a well respected Bible teacher... collected all of them. We do not "celebrate" Halloween but we did hand out candy when living in a neighborhood. I have Christian friends who have Halloween parties as well as those who don't believe in going as far as handing out candy to neighbor kids.

I wear slacks and one of my good friends does not. I watch Science Fiction and have friends who don't believe in watching any television. I personally do not wear shorts which go above the knee as I used to... a change which came more with a decision for modesty rather than age. But I have Christian friends who do and that is fine. None of these decisions have anything reflecting salvation... grace in the gray areas.

Having said that, I also see this time of year as God's grace to those of us who have a difficult time seeing the autumn leave... it was unusually beautiful in our part of the country this year.

As I looked at my surroundings through the lens of the camera, I realized I was seeing a bit of summer and a lot of autumn and an increasing winter landscape... all in this very brief time of year as the leaves are past peak but many continue to hold onto their branches.

It won't be too long before my neighbor's red barn will stand out in a world of white. I can wait, though.

The view from the front porch is looking more like winter each day, one can easily see into the forest now. Excuse the trash waiting for pick up. This is the real world. :)

I love Grace... I want to live in Grace and have it fall upon my head like the soon coming snow or the heavy rains of spring. I want to give Grace and take Grace and surround my life with Grace.

I don't want to be afraid of Grace thinking it will lead me astray... past the gray areas and into that which I should not tread. There is no fear in Grace if we are holding fast to the Giver of Grace.

That is all that matters.

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2011-10-30T08:00:00.119-04:00

Silver and a bouquet of sage... beautiful.

I've been thinking a lot this week about God's way of molding us and shaping us throughout our life and how He sends people across our path to assist in His work. It all started with a conversation with my daughter and how she is dealing with a character issue with one of the grandchildren. I remembered when she was around that same age and I was also praying about character.

You see, I have often been told by others... as they were listening to my daughter or my husband... how astonishingly "brilliant" they are. Especially when Stephanie was younger and before all of her days were spent juggling a household of seven people. I will add here that no one has ever said she was brilliant like her mother... sigh. Anyway, I digress...

Things did tend to come easy to her so as a child she would become quite impatient with people who were not as smart or quick or generally all together as she was. Being my first child and the one I learned about parenting with... I was convinced she was going to grow up all cold hearted towards others.

Of course, that did not happen and Stephanie became was of the loveliest and warmest souls I know on this planet... besides the fact that I am somewhat biased... it is true.

Then I was talking to our friends who were our guests for dinner this week and sharing how Christopher has been asked to apply for a graduate Fellowship at the University. My friend, Linda, already knows the story but I was telling her husband and son (her son's arrival home from Afghanistan was the reason for our celebration) how his father and I are completely befuddled by where this 4.0 student was hiding during his homeschool years.

The boy who spent two years on Saxon 1/2... the boy for whom we spent a year not teaching math to catch up on everything else... the same boy who absolutely despised math as both parents tried to teach him. Suddenly... and it did seem overnight... he blossomed into this scholarship winning, president of everything, curve breaking, science student. I never saw that coming. I knew he was smart in history and other subjects... but Christopher a scientist???... you have to take math for that.

But the more I pondered this, I thought of my own beginnings in the faith when a school acquaintance was told to ask the "least likely person" in her class to become a Christian to attend a revival meeting at her church. I was the "least likely" she asked that week.

How God has been faithful in molding and shaping that messed up fatherless girl through the years and He has promised he will not give up until it is time for my journey to end. Just as with my children, He took what was available in youth and has added to it and molded it and formed it as the years have gone on into the person He wants each of us to become... never perfectly on this side of Eternity... but at least heading in the right direction.

I was not a very good student even through High School. I was the one of whom the teachers would tell a parent "she has so much potential she doesn't use". I thought of that one day while sitting in the Board Room of the corporation where I was working... there to help guide Vice Presidents in their long range planning session. God had been molding and shaping...

I found it amusing that instead of a scripture verse this week, I kept thinking of that old bumper sticker, "Please be patient, God isn't finished with me, yet". That saying I would roll my eyes at and think it an excuse for people not trying hard enough... and now in the autumn of life looking back and shouting a Hallelujah in agreement.

I hadn't thought of that for years until earlier this week and then just yesterday my friend in New Mexico called to chat awhile and repeated that very same saying. I think God was trying to get it through to me and I am convinced He... with His Holy sense of humor... was chuckling as I stared at the phone when Kathy stated those words.

Oh, my friends... how I now see that He never gives up on us and He is the one who does the molding and the shaping and the creating within us something wonderful. We are never what we are to become at age five or ten or fifteen or twenty or thirty or fifty or one hundred... not until we take our last breath is He finished with us.

So if your child is not what you want him to be... keep praying and teaching and guiding and listening and correcting. Not a perfect husband or wife in the house... lots of prayer and forgiving helps that situation. Frustrated at your own sinfulness and inadequacies... look into His Word, talk to Him, ask Him to bring teachers in person or through books your way... and give yourself the grace He gives you.

Be patient... God isn't finished with you, yet. :)

Foggy country mornings

2011-10-28T13:07:00.000-04:00

Victoria waiting for her people to arrive home

Christopher stayed here last night so I would make certain he was awake and on campus for a mid-term exam. His ability to sleep through alarms as well as having a conversation with one and then being quite upset with them when he goes back to sleep (and believes they never woke him up in the first place)... is stuff of family legend.

So... to make certain he made morning mid-terms, he stayed here two nights in a row and this morning I took his car and dropped him off on campus. As we drove country roads into town, the foggy haze hovering over the landscape reminded me of the first time he drove home alone at night (age late sixteen or early seventeen). He called me not too far from the house to say it was the creepiest drive of his life with fog just hovering over the graveyard and making the lake spookier than usual. He just needed to call and hear a human voice.

I believe if a deer had jumped out of the woods or a cornfield right then... as they are prone to do when least expected... he would have had heart failure right there and I would have been writing about the late great Christopher.

I had to admit, even with the backdrop of a beautiful morning rising of the sun on the horizon... it was just a little unnerving. He thinks it is due to that low fog being the backdrop of too many creepy movies we have seen. I don't watch real horror films as I'd just as soon not be scared in real life or on the screen... but I do enjoy a good mystery now and then.

Just recently I watched on DVD my favorite X-files show (a series which must be watched with discernment I admit) called Bad Blood, which was one of the comedy episodes they were famous for... a spoof of vampire shows and one I must admit to laughing through as I texted favorite lines to Stephanie between giggles.

Now, admitting I watch the X-files now and then may drop a few people from my rss feed (I do notice drops and rises after TV, movie, and book recommendations) but alas it is part of that rather odd part of my otherwise straight and narrow personality that has a passion for science fiction and disaster shows.

I'm certain if I lay on a counselor's sofa and talked about my fascination with such media while at the same time not "celebrating" Halloween or reading Harry Potter may send him (her) back to graduate school for further study.

But in the meantime, I did enjoy spending time with my "boy" and it has been interesting to hear about his ancient civilization studies (especially about the Hebrews and how it all fits in with the Old Testament).

The haze had lifted on the way home as the sunshine was cast through the remaining leaves of gold and copper and chartreuse. All was bright and cheerful, especially as I had decided to drive home the scenic route which does not pass the graveyard and lake.

I will be brave and make the return trip on that road... I think.

Scenes from a Bed & Breakfast

2011-10-27T10:47:00.000-04:00

Dian-Lee B&B, Bluefield, West Virginia

When we travel to New England, Stephanie and the World's Best Son-In-Law make arrangements for us to stay at a B&B on the way there and back. When we were planning the trip to Virginia, I told her not to be concerned about our arrangements on the way there as I knew we would be very tired so we stayed at a motel by the Interstate.


One view of the wrap around porch

Another view of the wrap around porch

On the way home, however, she made reservations for us to spend the evening at a Bed & Breakfast near (practically on) the northwestern part of Virginia-West Virginia border. Although it ended up taking us further away from the Interstate then we originally planned... and driving over interesting roads (how DO you mountain people handle those roads?)... it was well worth the extra time.

The room where breakfast is served

The B&B itself was gorgeous and the breakfast quite yummy. We enjoyed chatting with the other guests over brunch.

All the other guests had been coming to the B&B for many years and were staying at least a few days (we were staying overnight). It would be easy to get spoiled there. :)

The owner and two-man staff have been working on the gardens for years. One of the guests told me the men choose a new garden project each year and work on it all season. Even though we were there in late summer-early autumn, they were still beautiful.

The inside of the house and the dining room set for brunch were all lovely. The above pictures show just a little of the Southern charm. It was a nice way to end the vacation although I admit... I was also happy to get home. :)

More scenes of autumn

2011-10-26T10:26:00.002-04:00

I am so glad I picked up the camera and snapped these pictures a couple weeks ago. Within days the leaves were on the ground! I can now see my neighbor's red barn from the front porch.

There is a feeling of impending winter in the air, which I really don't mind except I still have a dark kitchen! I never thought that would still be happening so long after the lightening strike. We're hoping the electrician can at least fix the kitchen lights with the insurance money left, he is to check it out soon. Thankfully, everything else is back to normal and replacements were all shipped and received.

I just love the way autumn sunlight makes everything a shade of gold and night become... crimson?

Above is one more picture from "Downtown"...

I am listening to Christmas music on Pandora as I write. Yes, I heard parts of the country were expecting snow! :)

Added clarification: The deductible is taken from the repair costs, the insurance company ordered most of the new appliances and had them shipped to us (Christopher opted to receive cash for his sound system).

A little here and there and questions answered

2011-10-24T13:45:00.002-04:00

Miss Victoria would love to "help" in the garden

That's how I'm getting the house and garden ready for the winter. I spent awhile this morning pulling the 2011 garden out of the raised beds, thinking already of the 2012 garden and hoping to better conquer the weeds. I have heard via people who should know... weather type experts... that we may be in this weather pattern for awhile which would make for other hot and wet summers. Rather than shutting my eyes and hoping it all works out... I can see some garden books stacked in the winter reading!

The weeds were already out of control when we left for ten days. I now know why farmers do not take vacations until after the harvest is in. Anyway, the first two-thirds of the garden season went well... kind of... what did not yielded its' own crop in lessons learned and wisdom gained, which will be written in my Scrapbook Journal soon.

I need to answer a few questions now for if I don't, they tend to get buried and then I forget all about them... only to have one or two pop up in my mind many months later when I have only the haziest of recollection what they were.

The name of the dish pattern that I'm giving to the future Mrs. Christopher is Royal Albert's Lavender Rose... one of the best thrifting deals I ever found by far. Her favorite colors are lavenders-purples and these are very feminine. She has one of the cup-saucer sets sitting in her room at home already. :)

The pattern on Great Grandmother's china is Raddison by W. S. George, an American company. Probably around the 1920s.

The silverware was purchased at a garage sale along with a felt lined box that keeps it pretty much tarnish free. I have heard that silver does not tarnish if used regularly but I've never put that to the test.

I wash my good china and silverware by themselves (I have also read one should not wash silver or silver plated (as mine is) silverware with stainless steel or it causes a bad chemical reaction on the silver). I only polished the silverware shown with the place settings when I first brought them home and so far they have not tarnished.

I do have a few silver serving pieces that are not kept in flannel (like a silver plated ladle) which I do need to polish now and then but not often. My candlesticks and tea-coffee servers have to be polished often but I figure that is the cost in time to enjoy them. I think of them more as pieces of beautiful sculpture than any burden. Air and light contributes to tarnish so my few silver plated serving trays I have left are protected enough that they rarely need polishing.

I put a towel in the bottom of the sink (after filling it with sudsy water that is just a little hot) to cushion the china and it is the one time that I do not ask for help in the kitchen! I wash and dry everything and stack it on the dining table to be put away as soon as reasonably possible. It is worth all the extra "trouble", at least for me.

Yes, it is true! Once you start "seeing" a certain pattern then it just seems to jump out at you while thrifting. I can "see" an English teacup on the shelves from an aisle away and now I can "see" brown transferware. Although both are somewhat rare in my area.

However, even with the rising prices at Goodwill and the local thrift stores, I still have seen excellent prices on dishes... probably because they get so many of them... so it is quite possible to find what you need to set a pretty table for less than the price of one DISH at a department store.

Photo from Hummingbirdworld.com

When I mentioned the hummingbirds we have in our area, a blog friend from another country asked what kind of bird that is... They are teeny tiny little birds which (to me) sound so much like a wasp that I have given the the little guys quite a scare swatting at them before I know it is not a wasp.

The most common color in my yard is a greenish-yellow combination but I have seen a hummingbird with reddish highlights in my garden. They are truly one of God's tiny but magnificent creations.

I've also had comments and e-mails about my friend Manuela's blog... she is taking a blog break for awhile! I have already told her that I hope she is back for the Holidays so I can ~~steal her ideas~~... enjoy her lovely decorating and creative ideas.

However, most of us write our blogs as a labor of love so I never want to put a burden on another to blog when the time is not right. As a writer of a blog, you really put yourself out there emotionally and one does tend to judge themselves on comments (and lack of them but I have found the entire Blogdom is... for the most part... getting a lot fewer comments).

Just recently I had a number of people drop off my rss feed and for awhile I was second guessing myself about what I possibly could have said or done... but then the realization came all over again (as I have been told so often), I just have to be myself ... for better or worse... as people come and go and many remain. This especially happens because I write about so many different subjects.

Sometimes one has to step away for awhile and this is such a time for Manuela. I do hope temporarily.

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2011-10-23T04:00:00.149-04:00

Table set for Easter dinner a few years ago with the china I inherited from my mother-in-law... which belonged to her mother.

Recently I was reading Tea Celebrations (by Alexandra Stoddard) while sitting in the car waiting for my husband to finish photocopying receipts needed to keep on file. When he returned to the car, I read him a sentence from the book which made us both smile... "My hair was combed in a page boy, held in perfect place, I recall, by Elizabeth Arden's Blue Grass hair spray."

For Blue Grass was the cologne we gave his mother one Christmas when she was no longer able to find her tried and true favorite of decades (I can't recall what it was). She loved the scent but we would return year after year and see that bottle of Blue Grass, along with other perfumes, sitting pretty much unused on the vanity in the bathroom of the new addition to the house.

She had a tendency to wait for the perfect time to use her good stuff and that perfect series of circumstances never occurred. When I went through her wonderful collection of vintage linens after her death, most fell apart in my hand where they had been folded and left in a box... unseen for who knows how long? I remember right then I made a decision not to hide the good stuff away in a closet... ever.

My own mother had her own idiosyncrasy about using some items as I remember her nightgown was kept together with a safety pin but upon receiving a lovely gown from one of my siblings, she kept it in a drawer to use "in case she went to the hospital". Of course, when she did go to the hospital, she wore the gowns they provide.

I must admit perhaps my greatest vice is that of procrastination... made worse by this battle with fatigue which is fought in the trenches of chronic illness on a daily basis. Still, there is no excuse for waiting on a perfect day or perfect occasion or when the weather is just right to celebrate that which is good and lovely and special on an everyday basis.

Oh, there are some things I do keep for special because one must be gentle with them. Such as the Victorian china inherited from my husband's mother. Still... I use it much more than she did which was mainly on Easter and if I take good care of it, perhaps Faith will use it some day for her family (Faith loves flowers).

Although the many serving pieces (the Victorians certain liked a lot of dishes!) are put away for most of the year, the plates are kept on a shelf in the kitchen... high enough to protect them but low enough to make them easy to reach when I want to set a special Spring-like table... set with the silver plated spoons, forks, and knives purchased while thrifting one year.

We have no furniture in the house which is not used as our collection of inherited antiques all sit next to garage sale finds. The thrifted silver services are displayed (recently moved to their own little table), candles are lit, bone china mugs find their place beneath apple cider K-cups (they fit perfectly), and... as mentioned before... Christmas plates are used all year long because they are jolly and cheerful and a nice size.

While there will always be books unread... for I most certainly have lots and lots of books... there are none waiting for a special time. Except perhaps the Dostoyevsky for such a day I'm willing to commit that amount of time.

Although the sentence from the book sparked these ponderings, so did the realization that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. I am already giving myself a pep talk, a reminder that just because we do not "entertain" as we once did... although the children are on their own... and with the knowledge that it will be just the two of us here most of the time... it is important to get out the good stuff and decorate.

I am reminded of a few different years when we were in the midst of great trials and I didn't want to decorate, even with children at home. But then I would remind myself that "This is their good old days", shake the mental and emotional cobwebs off, get out the boxes, and make the house as festive as possible.

For I realized that it is those very years when life is rather bleak that we need the joy which comes from being festive even more than usual. We need to get out the favorite decorations and remind ourselves that there is nothing more special than family and friends and that even when we are alone we feel better when the candles are lit, the music is playing, the china is sparkling, and the food we have cooked is simple but delicious.

For even the small stuff makes a big difference in our emotional and spiritual health. Upon returning from vacation, I bought two small mum plants to place on the deck table where they were seen for weeks whenever one of us sat in the recliner.

In a little over a month, I will decorate the Christmas tree and plug in the lights every morning as I have done for years and years and years... saying morning prayers and thanks by its' magical lights.

I never want my children to look through my things and wonder why their mother saved such beauty for a day which never came about. Carpe Diem... :)

Recent reading

2011-10-21T13:59:00.002-04:00

It has been a long time since I wrote a "reading post" so I'm certain some titles have slipped through the cracks in my memory... which was never all that good but now is pathetic.

Sooo... here goes from the most recent to the farthest which my memory takes me (vacation reading).

Last night I finished Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith & Art by Madeleine L'Engle and yes... it has been on my reading stack for quite awhile. I really, really liked this book but found myself having to think about what I was reading so I could only get through a little at a time.

Most of it was excellent but there were just a few sections here and there in which I said to myself... "Huh?". I suppose when I re-read through those sections, I will understand them a little more... or not. Still... a wonderful book.

The Goudge book I am re-reading is A City of Bells which is one of my very favorites of her books read (so far). I am at a loss for words in why I love this book so much other than to say it is like a warm hug from a friend who understands what makes me happy. Of course, the reading of any Goudge book must be accompanied by the sipping of good tea in an English teacup with a scone (or a packaged cookie) on the side. :)

I have been interested in studying the history of the American Revolution since I can remember but our visit to Colonial Williamsburg peaked my curiosity about Virginia and Virginians of that era. Of course, I knew it was the largest state (Commonwealth?) and that important Founding Fathers came from the state... but I had mostly studied what actually happened in New England.

Soooo... a little research provided titles to read and one of them was Bound Away: Virginia and the Westward Movement. It peaked my interest as it was about those who came to Virginia from Europe, the importance of Virginia in the beginning of America, and then their history in moving towards the Frontiers (with an excellent discussion on the two different historical thoughts about what constitutes the American Frontier).

I have found it quite interesting even if it must be read slowly to take in all the facts and figures... and now that it is my only nonfiction book on the reading stack, it will get a lot more attention. I'm not sure I will read all of it as I'm mostly interested in the chapters leading up to the movement West into the Frontier..

I have visited the East Coast enough to know my part of the United States is still seen by many as a Frontier land. I think Eastern students were brainwashed by early American maps. One time Stephanie introduced me to a friend of hers at church and when I told her where I was from, she had a surprised look on her face and said, "You mean people really live there?".

Now, I can understand if we were talking about Wyoming or other places with more land than people but I mentioned we even had cities such as Chicago and Indianapolis and Detroit and Cleveland... but by that time I'd lost her. It gives a new meaning to the term "fly over country"... sigh. I still get people who find it hard to believe that Northwestern University is in Illinois and that Notre Dame is in Indiana. But I digress...

I decided to read Rumors of Water:; Thoughts on Creativity & Writing by L. l. Barkat when it was recommended by Ann Vaskomp. It is a story of Barkat teaching her own two girls the art of not only writing but seeing life as an artist and creative person.

On the whole, I enjoyed the book very much but with one annoyance. The book is published with blank pages between the chapters. I'm not sure what the publisher intended but it made me feel the book was more choppy than it was. Anyway, it is a good book especially for those interested in children and writing and homeschooling.

I took a few books with me on vacation but the only book I read through all the way was Amanda Soule's new book The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder through the Seasons which was written with her husband. I loved this little book! The Soule's take on everyday living is much the same as mine, it has lots of colorful photos as well as prose and creative projects and a couple recipes here and there.

If you read Amanda's blog, you will already have a sense of the "look" of this little book. I would have read it through again but I wanted to give it to Stephanie to take home with her. Only one warning... there is a chapter about teaching your children to meditate which I didn't read at all... not being one who believes in that kind of meditation. But if you read the blog, you already know they lean into this kind of spirituality. However, if I remember... that is the only time in the book it shows up and it is easy to ignore for we who lean toward the Evangelical Christian perspective. This is the kind of book one wants to pull out of a basket and re-read on cold winter nights.

Tea Celebrations by Alexandra Stoddard has been the book which kept me company in the car and while waiting for my husband now and then. It is a lovely little book about tea and tea time with many stories taken from Alexandra's life. It is also highly recommended with just the slightest of warnings that... as all of her books which do not deal directly with decorating... it does contain some of her influence from Eastern religions. Nothing I personally could not overlook and there is so much more to enjoy in her writing.

The only new cookbook I've been perusing is one I found "used" written by John Gonzales, the chef from whom we enjoyed the cooking class-gourmet dinner in Colonial Williamsburg. It is called Holiday Fare; Favorite Williamsburg Recipes. It contains numerous Christmas and Holiday recipes as well as pictures here and there of Colonial Williamsburg decorated for the Holidays.

This is an excellent cookbook for the experienced cook who wants to serve special dishes to guests but also for the newer cook who would like to try what one would call "fancier" dishes. The recipes are well written so they are easy to understand and the dishes are accompanied by photographs of what they are suppose to look like when finished (which I always appreciate).

I have given away most of my "gourmet" cookbooks through the years but this one is a keeper.

Hmmm... it appears I got in more reading than I thought the past couple of months!

Note: I do plan to work on the Recommendations List when the autumn list of "gotta do's" are gotta done.

Picture: Book Shop; allposters.com

Wind, rain, and lots of cooking!

2011-10-20T18:49:00.002-04:00

Colder weather makes for lots of time in the kitchen!

The weather here would have put Pooh and the Hundred Acre Woods in a tizzy! It has been absolutely freezing (at least it seems that way after higher than normal temps) and blustery and rainy... quite dreadful for even walking to get the mail.

We had to run a few errands yesterday but today has been spent indoors where it is warm and cozy. So far I have made chicken noodle soup over the weekend and chicken veggie soup yesterday... and pumpkin bars today (that recipe... here). They are one of our favorite autumn desserts and very easy.

Christopher called on Sunday with a voice so raspy, I could hardly hear him. He ended up driving home and propping a pillow up on the family room sofa to watch TV and eat homemade soup and drink hot tea. He said he could feel life coming back after two bowls of the chicken noodle soup. It is a good thing when a college student lives close enough for Mom's cooking.

He felt well enough by Monday night to drive into Chicago with his best friend to represent the University at a computer conference. Well, they actually drove to one of the train stations and parked their car there to take the train into Union Station. The weather there has been worse than it has been here with windows being blown out of a high rise from gale force winds.

My other child has also been sick but I could only offer emotional support and encouragement. So far we haven't figured a way to send chicken noodle soup through the phone. :)

This evening I am curling up with a blanket on the sofa (and perhaps a cat) to re-read a favorite Goudge book. It is that kind of evening... brrrrr.

Note: Sorry for the dark photo but even with the flash that is as bright as I could get it. The kitchen lights are not repaired, yet.

... and the winner is!

2011-10-20T00:30:00.023-04:00

I ran the total number of comments through Random.org and it came up with #46, which is...

Karie said...

I would love to have a copy.

Please contact me at coffeeteabooksandmeathotmaildotcom with your address. I will give it to Whole Heart ministries.

Thank you to my friend, Sally, for the book. I know the winner will love it. Please remember the Clarkson's in your prayers. As some of you know, Clay is recovering from back surgery and it has been a difficult journey.

Regular posting will return this evening or Friday... God willing and the creek don't rise (and we don't get blown away from all this wind!).

Educating the WholeHearted Child give away

2011-10-17T16:00:00.100-04:00

Being a die hard bibliophile... when I first started homeschooling, I read everything I could that was written on the subject. There were a few books that I read over and over but only one which became a true reference book. That was the original Educating the WholeHearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson.

I loved that book, it was full of information about homeschooling, parenting while homeschooling, books to read and use, other reference materials, different styles of homeschooling, etc. So, when I heard Clay was spending a couple of years updating and rewriting the book, I wondered how he could improve upon it (other than updating it with more current information).

That is, until I read through the new book when they sent it to me recently. Oh, my friends... it is fabulous! It is a big book full of information which you will go back to read over and over (perhaps daily!). I would go so far as to say it should be on the desk of every homeschooling family... not on the bookshelf because you will find yourself referencing it quite often.

Although it is a book about homeschooling, it would also be enjoyed by those thinking of homeschooling as well as anyone who enjoys reading about parenting from a Christian perspective.

Some of the areas covered are...

Home
The Christian Home, The Christian Homeschool, Home Nurture, Home Discipleship, Home Education

Learning

Living and Learning Together at Home, Creating a Home You Can Learn Within, Understanding Your Child, Beyond the WholeHearted Child

Methods

The Study of the Bible, The Study of the Basics, The Study of Ideas, The Study of Learning, The Study of Living

Living

Keeping the Vision Alive, Keeping the Homeschooling Together, Keeping the Home Together, Keeping the Spirit Strong, Keeping Faith in the Family

There are pages upon pages upon pages of book lists as well as forms which can be copied.

No wonder it took Clay years to revise this book. I can't begin to tell you how useful it would be but think encyclopedia... mixed with "how to" information... mixed with years of homeschooling wisdom... and all written in such a way you can curl up with a cup of tea and read it for enjoyment.

If you only had one book about homeschooling, this is the book to own... and I thought it could not get any better than the 1990s version!

Sally is offering to give a copy to one of the readers here at Coffee Tea Books and Me! All you have to do is leave a comment before noon on Thursday and I will draw a ~~rabbit~~ name out of the hat.

Should you not be the fortunate winner, this book is available through Amazon.com.

Of course, you can also purchase it through the Clarkson's Whole Heart website... here.

Remember... noon on Thursday is the deadline to leave your comment.

Sunday Afternoon Tea

2011-10-16T04:00:00.143-04:00

A number of years ago, I lived close to a quiet neighborhood where I used to walk my three miles a day... one and a half miles out and one and a half miles back. There was a house which I passed soon after starting my walk and as I was just slowing down upon my return.

The house had such pretty landscaping which I quite admired but what really drew my attention was the gate to the backyard. When it was opened, one could view beautiful rose bushes and one had the feeling that far more was to be discovered "out back".

One day the home owner was outside when I was returning home and I stopped to ask her about her backyard. She smiled and told me whenever the gate was open, I was free to make my way through the gate and "stay awhile" where it was peaceful.

For the woman ended up being a psychologist and the garden was created especially to bring peace to one's soul. She led me into the backyard where I soon found a Secret Garden... which one would not expect in a regular subdivision in town... blooming in its' full glory.

She explained that many of her patients knew about the garden and would stop by even when she was not home. When the gate was open, they could enjoy the healing powers of her garden by sitting alone and thinking.

I can't remember exactly what it looked like but I do recall the peace I felt sitting in the garden on one of the benches... at a time when I was going through a particularly difficult season of days and months and years.

It was after the diagnosis of ill health... after having to sell our dream home... after moving to Detroit... after living by the Pond... after a year or more of unemployment... after moving back home with no money and no prospects but many miracles... before buying our home here at the edge of the forest.

I was thinking of that garden these past weeks, as the forest was ablaze with golds and yellows and crimson and all the various shades of green. Walking down the gravel lane and taking in such Beauty... loving the aroma of woodsmoke... and hearing the sounds of squirrels and other small furry creatures scurrying through the woods (at last I hoped they were small!)... all bringing such peace and reminding me of that garden.

All of this to say... my ponderings came full circle and caused me to think of the people who have been the gardens of my life. Those who have made the journey easier with their love and compassion. Whether a much needed vacation (a gift from our daughter's family) or a book in the mail... whether a party in a box which contained lovely items to make autumn warm and cozy or a visit to Starbucks to experience a pumpkin spice latte... all gifts from Him through others.

I don't think this side of Heaven we will ever know how big the little things were... the importance of the cold cup of water given in the desert or the simple gift of a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning. We only think of the big things we do for others or they do for us without realizing it is the lifetime of little things that really matter.

For the big things are seldom but the little offers of friendship... the helping another carry their cross along the way even if just for a moment... that is what I believe He notices the most. As much as I enjoyed that garden when the gate was opened, how much more I have come to realize I could not have made it through this journey if not for those who shared... not their gardens but themselves.

How truly lovely are the feet of those who bring good news of Peace and Love and Joy and lift the burdens of others by just a little... but enough to help them make it to the finish line and to never ever give up. I have come to realize how much we need each other on this journey and He is the one who made it that way. :)

Even more dish talk...

2011-10-14T20:16:00.002-04:00

Okay, the above picture has nothing to do with dishes but I think it is beautiful. It was taken standing at the end of my gravel lane and looking down the county road. I have more pictures to share next week. Most of the leaves are now on the ground...

I love hearing about your great thrift store, garage sale, and Goodwill deals. It doesn't happen often but once in awhile I get this "feeling" that I should stop by Goodwill or a thrift shop, usually I just can't get it out of my head. Sometimes I give into it and find exactly what I've been wanting, too! I think those times are usually God winks... when He wants to show us He is listening in a rather unorthodox manner.

I say usually and sometimes because to be quite honest... it's the same feeling I get when the subjects of chocolate or pizza or ice cream land in the nest of my thinking and attempt to stay there until I give into temptation. ;)

I knew a Friendly Village teapot existed so I did a search on Amazon.com and found one at a great price. (Teapots can be outrageously expensive and I don't even look at those.) I saved up Amazon credit to purchase it, thinking by having a teapot I can use the thrifted china for much more than just dinners. As some of you know, I am a huge believer in having a proper tea at home once in awhile, even if it is for one or two (these days that being hubby and moi'... or just moi' and Victoria).

I haven't seen Friendly Village at Tuesday Morning but they carry Churchill china and this time of year they have one or two of their autumnal place settings featured. As shared before, I found the bowls really cheap on their clearance racks after Thanksgiving one year.

My tastes have changed through the years, too. I cringe to think of it now but I once saw a complete set of Friendly Village at Goodwill and passed it by. At that time I was still using my wedding china for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I wasn't thinking of adding any more dish sets.

But then I began to take a second look at the brown transferware and I realized they would be great not only for Holidays but for the entire season... September through November. I have long decorated for autumn and I love the way the dishes add to the "look". This year I plan to add them to a shelf in the china cabinet as Miss M. (soon to be Mrs. Christopher) is getting these...

...as a wedding present from her future mother-in-law. Except for the teapot, which was my very first pretty teapot and a gift from Stephanie when she was in college.

My inexpensive Christmas dishes

My "Christmas" dishes are a very cheap set of Pfaltzgraff (not from their expensive line of stoneware) that I bought at a Meijers store long ago. I only have four place settings and I use the plates all year long because they are so nice and big. They are also cheerful and make me happy... which I need more than just at Christmas time. I usually use my wedding china for Christmas Day.

China cabinet last year

There will always be my collection of pretty china cups and teapots. Most I purchased really inexpensive while thrifting but some are gifts from beloved family and friends... like my birthday (July) cup Stephanie bought me at Old Sturbridge Village when we spent a lovely day there and the pretty floral cup Sally Clarkson gave me when we finally met in person.

I also have the china I inherited from my mother-in-law (which was her mother's good china). It will most likely be passed down to one of my granddaughters.

Stephanie at a tea room two or three years ago

Faith and Elisabeth at the same tea room

The girls are growing up! At the tea room we visited in September.

We are raising a new generation of tea time and pretty china enthusiasts.

Stephanie and I have had different favorite tea rooms but we both agree the ones we love the most (as far as decorations) are those which mix and match the china (teapots and teacups). I wish I'd taken pictures at the tea room near her which we visited the first time I flew to New England.

Elisabeth was just big enough to join us (small enough for us to be a little nervous about her using the fine china cups) and each place setting and every teapot were different... so cute. Unfortunately, it went out of business before I visited again.

That same tiny girl now makes scones on a regular basis for her mother! Time goes so fast, we must make memories while we can. I love the way Stephanie has tea time with her children (if it includes a strong cup of coffee along with a sweet scone, I expect their Daddy will gladly take part, too). ;)

Now... for all those who do not share my ~~obsession~~ love of dishes... I will go onto other subjects, at least for awhile. ;)