Homepiecing

Missing in Action - at Niagara Falls

2012-02-14T07:20:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time since I posted. You probably knew that. But here I am again with some pictures of why I wasn't posting. I was enjoying too much.

The company to which my husband is contracted as a consultant had meetings set up in Niagara Falls, Canada, and paid for wives to come, too. So we spent Friday evening through Monday morning "suffering" in the Hilton overlooking both the American and Horseshoe Falls, eating at fabulous restaurants, walking down to get sprayed by the magnificent falls, watching a movie on Niagara at the Imax theater, listening to a Doug Wilson sermon on the computer and lounging in our beautiful room.

With my darling husband in front of Horseshoe Falls.

The view was spectacular, even from the jacuzzi.

In the mornings, while Lovey was in meetings, I read some blogs, went for walks, slept late, etc.

Here is some of the "etc." that I did. Of course I had to bring along some quilting!

Sunrise on Horseshoe Falls.

It was a wonderful time of relaxing, reading, walking, talking, loving, meeting some of Lovey's co-workers, gaping at the wonders of creation and I'm so thankful for this gift God gave us. Someday I hope my kids get to go there, too.

Nature Walk

2012-02-04T10:14:00.000-05:00

We are so blessed to live in a beautiful area. Our walks are often filled with new discoveries of God's amazing creation. Let me share some of the beauty.

Raccoon tracks. Since the left one was consistently blurry, I wonder if it was injured.

Melting of snow reveals rodent tunnels

Walking on water. A nearby lake. Notice the fishing holes?

Fishing holes close up

We had never seen these beautiful star shapes in the ice before.

Zoe Grace

2012-02-01T08:01:00.001-05:00

We've recently had something new happen within our clan and it's been a difficult journey, though a time of fully relying on God's grace and wisdom and power. Sunday we gathered to celebrate and memorialize the very short life of our nephew and niece-in-law's 2 1/2 week old baby girl. She was born with a liver malfunction (the medical name for which I honestly do not remember) which was battled and which baffled for those short weeks (which seemed at times to be forever, especially to her parents). Zoe's five older siblings don't fully understand what happened to their much-desired and loved little sister, so pray for them. Zoe's parents have displayed a faith in their heavenly Father that amazed and convicted many as they shared online updates of developments, their observations, their awful pain in going through this and Scriptures and songs that the Lord used to comfort and strengthen them.

The whole journey has given me a lot of food for thought, the uppermost of which is how I kind of take my children for granted. I assume that they'll pretty much be around. I haven't been giving myself and my time to them in a focused and intentional way like I should. In several of the updates, Zoe's mommy shared how she wished she could be with her older children (they were with loving grandparents), just doing the simple, ordinary things with them like combing their hair and tying their shoes. Instead of seeing those things as another thing on the to-do list, they were connections with her children that she so desired.

Even as a homeschooling 24/7 stay-at-home-mom, we can lose focus on why we're stay-at-home moms. We can be so busy doing school, or cleaning up the messes, or trying to instill responsibility in our children that we don't look in their eyes, caress them as we teach, snuggle up close as we read those good books, laugh over spilled milk, hug each other as we gasp in amazement at the beautiful sunrise, ditch the schoolbooks and take a hike, make a mess while making cards for others, stay up late because you know the teenager needs to talk, listen to nonsensical 7-year-old jokes (that seems to be the year that all my children have made up real groaners) or just get in to their world instead of mostly insisting that they get in to mine.

On the updates website, I wrote the following to hopefully encourage this dear family:

Our family has been strongly affected by sweet little Zoe's short life and the beautiful testimony that you all had as you allowed us to travel the very difficult journey with you. We have prayed often and pleadingly not only for Zoe's healing (which she received in a different way than we'd preferred), but also for the peace that surpasses all understanding to be yours in Christ (which we have seen in you). We have held each other closer and given thanks for the time that we have had together. I have been more intentional in spending time with my children and have been strongly inspired to make more serious our desire to hide the word of the Lord in our hearts so that we may be equipped for whatever He might send our way. We have seen our church family unite around us and you (though you don't know them) in prayer and concern. We've seen our pastor and his wife feel with and for you as they remember their spina bifida baby's hospital stay and they give thanks for God's continued blessing in her life. We think your kids are some of the most blessed kids in the world to have you two for their parents and know that God would entrust this very difficult path to all of you because He can trust you all to be open to His care and leading, and though you might question His purpose and choice, you will not do so in rebellion, but in seeking to follow Him closely and to know His heart. We love and admire you.

I encourage you to rethink your time spent and relationships with your children (and spouse). God gave our nephew and niece much insight and wisdom as they walked this horrifying path, and they shared a lot of it at Zoe Grace Care Page, if you're brave enough to enter into their heartache. I know my eyes have been opened and I thank God for Zoe, though I never met her in this life.

Stinky Birthday Cupcakes

2012-01-26T09:48:00.002-05:00

In honor of our never-ending glee over conquering skunks that were invading our shed and possibly killing our chickens, Sweetie made skunk cupcakes for Precious's birthday celebration.

The tails were made of sugar cookies cut in the right shape; the noses and ears were jelly beans and the eyes were tiny M-n-M type candies.

They were good and lots of fun.

The directions came from What's New Cupcake? by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.

Kitchen Cupboard Beautification Project Finished

2012-01-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

While we had both our men home over the Christmas season, I was excited that they were able to help us finish our woodburned kitchen cupboard.

We had an old microwave shelf on the wall which wasn't being used well, so out it went and in it's place went this beauty.

I had bought the cupboard as a bare oak cupboard and wrote a paraphrase of some verses from Ecclesiates on the doors. Then Princess drew cherries and grape clusters and squiglies on the door frames with pencil. Sweetie then used her woodburner to burn those drawings into the wood. She also put some flowers down the center which are somewhat like Forget-Me-Nots.

I stained it to somewhat match our other cupboards and then varnished it all. Boy, it was hard to find regular old varnish! So much of it has polyurethane added to it.

So, now we keep our teas, teaballs and teapots in this lovely cupboard which our men put up for us.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday - The Importance of the Household

2012-01-11T19:45:00.002-05:00

The household is the God-ordained seat of education. It is the first place where we are to develop and communicate a distinctively Christian aesthetic for culture. The home is not to be relegated to a mere place for consumption, but transformed into a powerful tool for industry and production. In the household (not the state welfare agency) we find God’s true pattern for multi-generational, covenantal care. The home, not even the temple or church meeting house, has always been the God-ordained primary locus for daily worship. Our homes not only provide us with a platform to honor God’s non-optional command for one-anothering and hospitality, but they were designed to be the most powerful forums for evangelism and discipleship in the Christian’s arsenal.

~ Douglas Phillips ~

New Year Organization

2012-01-07T15:16:00.001-05:00

So, I'm seeing that I'm not the only one in the world who feels a strong need to reorganize their homes, schedules and overall life at this time of the year. With all the new Christmas aquisitions as well as the recent disruptions to normal routines, I feel like I need to get life under control. Even before Christmas, things were kind of crazy what with my huggy's recent change of job and the oilfield schedule with which we live.

To help me in this endeavor, I've just discovered a fun site that looks like it has lots of good ideas and advice. It's http://orgjunkie.com. Last year she did a 52 Weeks of organizing that looks like it helped a lot of people. Since I just discovered her site, I'm too late for that but may just use those posts to help keep me on track.

Meanwhile, I couldn't stand the state of my refrigerator anymore, so I went at it with a vengeance, emptying it completely, washing everything and then putting it all back with labels and containers to help keep things organized. Now to get my five helper ladies to maintain it!

So, do you want to join me in a little organizing, home improvement fun? Let's encourage each other to good things!

Candy Candyland

2011-12-27T14:13:00.000-05:00

I have no idea why this photo turned sideways during the uploading process, but it did and we (including my expert daughter) can't figure out how to turn it rightways. But if you turn yourself or your computer sideways, you can see some of the fun we've had over the Christmas advent.

Instead of making regular gingerbread houses, we got the idea to make a Candyland board game. So each "child" chose a house to make and went at it. We covered a little table with freezer paper, drew on the set-up and then placed the finished houses in their proper spots. We could have gotten Starbursts for the pathway, but that would run into more money and candy than I was happy with. So the Peanut Pixie-face had fun coloring in the spaces with markers.

I should say that we kinda cheat and use graham crackers instead of making our own gingerbread, but it works, we can get at the fun part quicker and you don't eat the stuff anyhow, so why go to the trouble?!

So, what was our inspiration to make Candyland? The 21-year-old college boy brought up the idea of playing it with his little sisters. A desire that was no doubt instilled in him by his granny loving to play it with him years ago.

I do now have a laptop (Merry Christmas to me), so hope to be able to show some of the other fun things we've done over the Christmas season as well as share more about homeschooling and such.

But for now, I wish you all a very blessed new year!

Organizing for the Holidays

2011-11-26T08:43:00.000-05:00

Since the heart of the home during the holidays is definitely the kitchen (followed closely by the craft room), I decided last week that it was finally time to tackle the job that had been looming over me of thoroughly cleaning and organizing the kitchen.

So we emptied EVERYTHING out of the cupboards and off the counter and stacked it wherever we could find an empty spot - all over the dining room and into the living room, too.

After washing all the shelves, counters and doors with bleach water, we began the process of putting things back in an orderly fashion. The baking/spice area had been the worse, so I was happy to get things sorted and neatened in there. I discovered that I had duplicates of some things which aren't used that often, so I passed some along to my aunt.

I am especially pleased with this little tidbit of organization genius (if I do say so myself). The hardware department helped me out with this little screw and nail organizer. The only disadvantage is that it's hard to sprinkle cinnamon on our french toast with this method, but it can be sprinkled from a spoon if necessary. I do actually keep a sprinkling jar of cinnamon as well as this little drawer of it.

So our kitchen now looks pretty good, though we're going to have to be sure to maintain it. I'll have to wait for another post to show you my piece de resistance because my dial-up internet is slowing way down and I'm just tickled that I was able to upload three whole pictures! There is hope now for a satellite connection not too far in the future, though.

Hope you have some time to help yourself feel well-ordered this Thanksgiving/Christmas season. I have more organizing to do, but I wanted to share my good start.

2011-10-31T08:20:00.000-04:00

During our annual Reformation Day Celebration, while the kids danced in joy before the Lord, I visited with friends, took oodles of pictures (but I only seem to be able to upload one picture/post on my antiquated computer), finished making my German Potato Salad, ran home to get forgotten piano music for the Talent Show & quilted hearts into the center blocks on this hope chest baby quilt.

I had put this together from leftovers of The Guinea Pig's farewell quilt, quilted most of it on the rented quilting machine and then decided that the hearts I'd tried to machine quilt in looked terrible, so I took them out and hand-quilted them in. Now if only I could find the label that I already wrote out for this. Sigh. Oh, well; I'm going to count it as a finish anyhow and will just rejoice all the more when I get the label on. This is for Sweetie's hope chest.

I hope to tell you more about our Reformation Day Celebration soon...as well as about another finish. :)

Little Finishes

2011-10-20T08:41:00.000-04:00

I've had this maple leaf fabric for several years. First I tried to make a curtain as a door/wall to my sewing area so the creative process (mess) wouldn't be so visible from my living room, but the curtain wouldn't stay up. So the fabric languished in the stash pile for a couple of years till I finally got inspired and made the time to turn it into a fall shower curtain. The goal is to make a different curtain for each season. So far, I have summer and autumn. A hem all around and buttonholes for the curtain rings on top was a simple and fairly quick finish.

The crocheted rug is a recent finish by Princess. It was crocheted out of 1.5 inch strips torn from three twin sized sheets - red, blue and green. Very pretty, I think. And just what we needed as our bath rug was shredding.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

This little finish has also been in my mind for awhile, so it was nice to actually get it done. The red thingy was just inside the mouth of some juice jug, I think. (It's been just hanging around here too long to remember exactly.) You could use a pop bottle cap, but I wanted something a little bigger.

It is stuffed with wool roving (needlefelting wool) and topped with a circle cut from a laundered, therefore felted, wool sweater. I gathered the circle with wide basting stitches, tightened it all up, stuffed the circle with more roving and then glued it all into the red base with E6000 glue. I used that glue to stick it to my sewing machine. Now no more hunting under piles of quilt blocks, etc., for my pincushion!

Hope you're having some feeling of accomplishment today!

Coming Out of Retirement

2011-10-10T20:45:00.000-04:00

Inspired by some things going on in quilt-blog-land and the fact that we're kinda settled into our homeschooling routine and I discovered that I can fit in some sewing and blogging, I've decided to come out of retirement. Of course, I still have the same slow computer and the same very slow dial-up connection to the internet, so until I can afford a laptop (it's not likely that we'll get beyond dial-up in our neck of the woods for quite some time yet) and can take the computer to some place where they have fast internet, I probably won't post a lot of pictures.

But I really want to get in on the Finish It Up Fridays at www.crazymomquilts.blogspot.com because I need the encouragement and inspiration to finish up my mountain of Works in Progess, Projects At a Stand Still, Unfinished Objects...whatever fancy names people try to give to this dilemma of mine.

And I like what's going on over at http://www.dawnhayesdesigns.blogspot.com/ where people are explaining the origin of their blog names. Could be fun. My blog name comes from my two greatest interests - home (homeschooling, homemaking, homebirth, homecooking...) and piecing (quilts and the lives of our family).

And I have been reading some good books lately that I'd like to share with others.

And most my flesh and blood friends aren't all that interested in quilting.

And I like to share homeschooling and homemaking ideas.

And I want others to get to know about our rather unique church community - reformed theology, family-integrated, homeschooling, homemaking, welcoming to children as God sends them, caring, sacrificing for each other, encouraging each other to grow in the Lord, semi-agrarian, and all around good folk.

So, I'm back, for better or for worse.

Christmas Gift Crafting Idea

2011-09-22T19:30:00.000-04:00

Hi. I'm back. At least for a moment to let you know about a crochet pattern I just listed in our Etsy store. If you like to crochet with size 10 crochet thread and you want to make some Christmas gifts or just make something nice for yourself or someone else, you might want to check out the pattern for wine goblet coasters, which would probably also work on water goblets.

Not only would the coasters beautify the goblets, but they also help to differentiate your goblet from someone else's. If you are not a crocheter, you can buy a set of four ready-made coasters. I plan to list more sets soon. Like within a day or two.

We're getting into the swing of our homeschooling schedule and are having fun trying to learn Latin together from an old textbook - all without knowing much of anything about it to start with. Fortunately, the Guinea Pig is learning it in college, so we can ply him with questions.

Still hoping for a faster computer and internet hook-up someday, I
Wannabegodly

Higher Priorities

2011-09-02T07:18:00.000-04:00

Because of the very many other things in our lives that need much more of my attention, including teaching and training and enjoying my children and desiring to give more undivided attention to them and to my husband, I'm going to shut down here. I don't know if I'll ever take it back up again - maybe if and when we get a faster computer and internet.

I love to write and it's been fun, but I can't give a blog or blogging friends the time that they'd need when I'm not taking care of my family's needs well enough.

So, I'm off.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2011-08-31T20:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday is already a dream and tomorrow is only a vision, but today well-lived make every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow and vision of hope.

Sanskrit Proverb

Godly Heritage

2011-08-26T08:06:00.001-04:00

I love to read. And I love to tell others about good books. And I love my family and love to tell others about my family.

Today's post combines those loves. I get to tell others about some books I love that were written by a family member. A much-loved and highly respected family member who just went to be with the Lord.

My father-in-law was 90 years old and was a disciplined godly man who lifted each one of his many descendants up to the Lord in prayer every day. Dad grew up in relative poverty at the tail end of the great logging work that took place in northern Michigan, married a lovely, joyful lady, served in World War II and then raised their five children just across the dirt road from where he'd grown up. The five children all followed the Lord's calling in their lives and raised their children for the Lord. Four of those five children now have married children following in those footsteps of raising godly children. (As the youngest by eight years, we don't yet have any married children yet.)

When his wife's health began to fail, he cared lovingly for her in their retirement home in Florida and then when he was no longer able to do that, he went the the nursing home twice daily to feed her and to take her for a "drive in the country" in her wheelchair on the nature path. We began to understand true sacrificial love as we watched him. He was honored that so many of the descendants were able to make it to her funeral nine years ago.

He was grateful for what God had done in and through his family and wrote two books about that as he was caring for Mom and was able to do a lot of book signing and speaking at historical societies after his first book Tall Trees, Tall People was published. It covered much of the history of the logging industry as seen through the eyes of his granddad and dad. Then he wrote The Price of Pride which was the story of his own life - being raised in the northwoods, going to school in a one-room schoolhouse, helping to start a church, going to the big city for work, meeting his future wife, serving as an airman in World War II (flying over "The Hump"- the Himalayas), working as a skilled welder, serving in his church by teaching and discipling, getting into wood-working, always seeking to glorify his Father in heaven.

He made his mistakes and had sins to confess, and he did confess them and righted the mistakes as much as he could. So we honor his humility as we honor his faithfulness and are so grateful for his influence, teaching and especially for his prayers. We are all convicted to take up the mantle of his work of prayer for each descendant by name.

Here's how my "neice-in-law" put it:

Yes, Grandad was a very special man. His commitment and dedication to work and family were clearly evident. And while those two things were wonderful and tremendous blessings to his family, what made this man so special was his commitment to God. You couldn’t know Rex very long without coming to know of his commitment to God. Those who didn’t even know him that well saw his regular church attendance and his moral life and they knew something was different about Rex Southwell. But church attendance and a moral life isn’t what truly showed his commitment to God. For many people regularly attend church and even are busily working in the church ministries, but they are not committed to God. In fact, I remember visiting Grandad one summer afternoon and discovering that he was quite bothered by hearing a pastor say that one’s love for God is measured by their church attendance and service in the church. I had barely settled on the couch before he vehemently pointed out to me that his love for God had never waned though his physical strength had and therefore he couldn’t serve in the church nor make it to as many services as he once had. I heartily agreed and assured Grandad that I knew of his continued commitment to and love for God and that I, for one, didn’t measure one’s status with God in such a way. I realized that Grandad found it very important that those around him never doubt God’s place of Supremecy and Authority in his life.

No, church attendance and a moral life did not show me Grandad’s commitment to God. It was his regular Bible-reading and prayer. I knew that every single day he was physically able, Grandad had started his day in the Word of God and prayer. He was rarely one to share specifics of what he had found in his time with God, but it oftentimes came up in conversation and I knew he had met with his maker that morning. What a testimony that was to me as a busy mom of young kids who struggled to make my time in God’s word a priority. Yet, while Grandad’s time in God’s Word certainly has impacted his family, I have come to heartily believe that the one thing that has made the Southwell family so special is the simple fact that every single day he was able, Grandad took each of our names into the Presence of God. From his kids down to his great-grandkids, each name is dutifully recorded in Grandad’s Bible and he took the time to pray for each and every one of his descendants by name every day. It gave me great pleasure to ask Grandad the name of a recently-born great-grandchild and to have to wait as he rattled off the names of first his child and spouse, grandchild and spouse, then on down the line of great-grandkids in that family from oldest to youngest. Why did he do that? Because that was the way the names are listed in his Bible and that is the order in which he prayed for them. I laughed when Grandad would be standing in the midst of my own kids and have to start from the oldest name to get down to the name of the one he was meaning to refer to. It never offended us, but rather comforted us for we knew that his list of names was another reminder that he was praying for us.

I know Grandad rarely knew the specific struggles of our daily lives, but just knowing that he had lifted my name and the names of my kids heavenward every day just astonished me. As I look around the Southwell family I see the faces of so many individuals who are dedicated and committed to the same God Rex Southwell served. I see a special family who love one another and love their God even more. I see a heritage left by a very godly man. I see a God who honored countless decades of one man’s commitment to prayer played out in the lives of countless descendants.

I am so very grateful for the many lessons and memories Grandad gave to me. But more than all of that, I am eternally grateful for the eternal difference he made in my family through his prayers for us. May each of us as Southwells pick up the torch where Grandad laid it down and live a life of commitment and dedication to not just our work and our families, but most importantly to our God and daily prayer for our descendants. For I now know that what intrigued and interested me in the Southwell family all those years ago was the heritage of one man committed and dedicated to God and prayer for his family.

We are blessed and I
Wannabegodly

God Will Never Give You More….

2011-08-21T21:59:00.000-04:00

You've got to read this post from Nancy Wilson. It's a good reminder and may help us to think more accurately and in a more theologically sound way in the future.

God Will Never Give You More….

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2011-08-11T08:05:00.000-04:00

[This] is the way of Christ. Instead of asserting ourselves, we crucify ourselves. Instead of imagining all the things we can accomplish, we ask God to do what only he can accomplish. Yes, we work, we plan, we organize, and we create, but we do it all while we fast, while we pray, and while we constantly confess our need for the provision of God. Instead of dependence on ourselves, we express radical desperation for the power of his Spirit, and we trust that Jesus stands ready to give us everything we ask for so that he might make much of our Father in the world.

Think about it. Would you say that your life is marked right now by desperation for the Spirit of God? Would you say that the church you are a part of is characterized by this sense of desperation?

Why would we ever want to settle for Christianity according to our ability or settle for church according to our resources? The power of the one who raised Jesus from the dead is living in us, and as a result we have no need to muster up our own might. Our great need is to fall before an almighty Father day and night and to plead for him to show his radical power in and through us, enabling us to accomplish for his glory what we could never imagine in our own strength. And when we do this, we will discover that we were created for a purpose much greater than ourselves, the kind of purpose that can only be accomplished in the power of his Spirit.

From Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt.

Skunk Trapping

2011-08-04T09:43:00.000-04:00

Here's what we woke to on Saturday morning.

We've had traps set to catch whatever it was that killed all 48 of our week-old chickens. We had caught and dealt with three racoons and one 'possum so far. The skunks were a whole new experience.

Since we'd never dealt with this before and it was just us girls at home, we called our pastor, who has been a Yukon wilderness fishing guide in a previous life, and asked him what we should do.

He said we should sneak up on them, quietly talking to them like we would cajol our kitties and cover them with an old blanket which would discourage them from spraying. Turns out they really don't like to spray and will mostly avoid doing so. So Sweetie and Precious got brave enough to be the sneaker-uppers and they got them covered safely. (Yes, they were still in their sleepwear.)

They then grabbed the handles of the cages and carried them across the 225 yards (or so) of hayfield to a corner of our swamp, giggling and heart palpitating all the way. We made it safely there and wondered how we were going to retrieve the live traps after we'd tossed them into the swamp. Fortunately, we were right beside Precious's hunting stand tree whereon was tied some nylon clothesline. So Sweetie tied a six foot or so length of that to a bar of the trap, holding her breath all the time since she had to lift a corner of the blanket.

Then she whipped off the blanket and tossed the trap/cage into a deep part of the swamp all in one fluid and very quick motion. I held the end of the rope. We left it in there (not looking at it much so we wouldn't feel too cruel at the drowning) for ten minutes and then I pulled it out. Not a delightful sight, but you do what you have to do.

As Precious picked up the cage to prepare to open it and dump the carcass in the swamp, she thought it started moving, but thought maybe that was just the cage getting bumped. As she looked closer, she was sure she saw it breathing. She dropped the cage excitedly and started to run off, leaving me standing right beside the reviving skunk, shrieking, "Help me! Don't leave me here with it!" since I was kind of stuck in the grasses with the rope end in my hand, not knowing how to open the trap to dump the beast.

Fortunately, Sweetie had presence of mind to come get the cage and dump the skunk into the swamp. She then tossed a small log over it to help keep it down.

The second, smaller skunk was easier to deal with because we were now experts, having studied in the school of hard knocks. We left the trap in the swamp five minutes longer and were confident of its demise.

During all this, Princess had climbed up into the hunting stand/seat in the nearby tree and was shouting the play-by-play to Roo and Peanut who weren't allowed too close. We all marched triumphantly back up to our breakfast amidst much excitement and giggles.

Beware chicken thieves!

Hard & Helpful Words

2011-07-28T19:59:00.000-04:00

I just read this post from Nancy Wilson, the wife of Douglas Wilson, one of the founders of the college our son attends, and I just have to share it.

Heart-tenderizing Words
Published by Nancy Ann on July 26, 2011 in Mothering. 25 Comments One day when I was feeling particularly like homemaking and child-rearing were exercises in futility, I called my mother-in-law to get a little pep talk. She had married Jim when she was 33 and he was 26, and her first of four children (my husband) was born when she was 34. Before her marriage, she had spent several years on the mission field, and she was a first-rate Bible teacher. So I called her up and told her how I felt that morning: like each day I grabbed my shovel to start moving the pile and by evening it was still there, maybe even higher and bigger.

So I was expecting a nice little word that would cheer me up. I was expecting a little sympathy. But here’s what I got instead. She told me about a missionary who was imprisoned for his faith and hung upside down in a cave. His wife had to bring him food and feed him in that condition. She brought him his books so he could continue to study while he was hanging there. Hmmm. I certainly did not have it that bad, not even on the worst laundry days. You can imagine, that was not what I was expecting to hear. I remember reacting a little bit on the inside. “Oh come on! That’s not relevant to my situation! See if I call you next time I need a little cheering up!”

She also reminded me that I had three in my congregation, three in my little Bible school at home. Now that was a new image for me. I wasn’t just running in circles. I was teaching by word and by example, every day, all day. That was both convicting and exciting for me to think about.

The unspoken message (which out of tenderness, she never would have said) was that I was having a little pity party, and I needed to get back to work with more of a vision of my calling, a renewed sense of the great potency of my calling. And a cheerful attitude. A little more gratitude. After all, my husband was standing on his own two feet. Life was not nearly as hard as I thought it was. It could be much, much harder. I needed to adjust my attitude, not my circumstances.

That was thirty years ago. If she had just patted me on the head, I doubt that I would even remember that conversation today. But I think of it often still. As her husband has said, and we have quoted often before, hard teaching makes soft hearts. Soft teaching makes hard hearts. If she had simply said, “Poor you! What a rotten life you have! You don’t need to do that. Why don’t you farm those little monsters out?” that would be soft teaching. “Take the first escape hatch! Don’t wear yourself out!” Hard teaching is about laying your life down and taking up your cross and following Jesus. Those hard words are heart-tenderizing words.

We often get this wrong. We want soft words, easy words, and not words that step on our toes or mess up our hair. Those words turn us into hard-hearted women. If you don’t believe me, look at the abortion industry. It gives women soft, easy words and creates monsters of them. Soft words can be soul-destroying.

But the hard words are the ones that get us to our knees and give us tender hearts. They remind us that God has promised us far more than we ever believe. Samuel Rutherford said that he hoped to over-hope and over-believe all his troubles. Faith gives us the will to back up and try again, full speed, to clear the hurdle. One more time.

Where's the Instruction Manual?: Wearing Skirts?

2011-07-27T08:47:00.000-04:00

Here's a thought-provoking post I'd like to share.

Where's the Instruction Manual?: Wearing Skirts?

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2011-07-27T06:42:00.001-04:00

From The Winding Ways Quilt (Elm Creek Quilts Series #12) "'What people won't tell you, because they can't put it into words, is that children will bring you more joy than you every suspected existed in the universe. Even when they're driving you crazy, you'll fall in love with them again and again. I've never laughed so hard or found so much beauty in simple things since becoming a mother. It's an impossible contradiction. They're frustrating and glorious. They throw your life into uproar and they teach you contentment. You'll remember every mistake you make as a parent and yet your children will love you anyway. I'll tell you something: Nothing on this earth can compare to a spontaneous, heartfelt hug from a toddler."

Monday Musing - The Search for Wisdom & a Scripture Memory Challenge

2011-07-25T08:21:00.000-04:00

This morning I started a Bible study guide entitled The Beauty of a Disciplined Life: 10 Studies on the Book of Proverbs by Rebecca Gates. I found it at a book sale recently. I'm not sure yet if I'll like it, but this morning's study was very insightful and much-needed. Each chapter focuses on a particular discipline covered in Proverbs, ie. wisdom, martal faithfulness, energy, quietness, speech, etc. and since I'm seeing a particular need of growing in wisdom lately, I thought this would be a help.

Today's study concentrated on chapters 1-4 of Proverbs, looking at the value of wisdom and how it is gotten. It was good to see the many synonyms or parallels to the word "wisdom," such as understanding, justice, judgment, equity, prudence, knowledge, discretion, discernment and righteousness. Wisdom is to be pursued, received, treasured, inclined to, applied, cried out for, and sought diligently. How many of us can say that we seek wisdom as we ought and as Proverbs tells us to? Hmmm.

Some of the benefits of attaining wisdom are:
*long, peaceful life
*respected by God and man
*clear direction
*strength and health
*having plenty
*safety, confidence and security
*peace
*confidence in God and His ability to keep us from falling

Wisdom also helps us avoid pain such as:
*the opposites of all the benefits
*calamity
*terror
*destruction
*distress
*anquish
*death
*being cut off from the earth
*being cursed by God
*being scorned
*shame
*darkness

So, how is wisdom attained? According to Psalm 119:97-112, it's by learning, meditating on and keeping God's words. I shamefully admit that that has not been a very high priority lately. We've been kinda hit and miss in our family worship time and my own delighting in the law of God has also been hit and miss. So, today that changes. I hope to begin memorizing Scripture more consistently with the girls and would like to challenge you to join us.

This week I want to start with Psalm 103:1-5 because, although there are many wonderful Scriptures to learn to help us walk the walk, I want to start by focusing on who God is and how to praise Him and talk of His wondrous works. Want to join us?

Because He is so patient, I
Wannabegodly

What We're Reading

2011-07-15T15:51:00.000-04:00

Just in case anyone is in need of some light and fun summer reading, I'm here to tell you about Once Upon a Marigold and its sequel Twice Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris. One of the things we liked most about the first book was one of the main characters, Ed, who says such crazy things as "You've buttered your bread, now you must lie in it." The story is fun, too, being a non-typical, yet somewhat predictable princess love story.

We've only just begun the second book, but it already has its share of laughs and interesting predicaments. We're all enjoying it in between trips to the summer art classes, swimming in the river, having church fellowship gatherings, finishing a belated graduation quilt, perusing the library shelves, gardening and thrilling to summer lightening storms. Give them a try!

The Return of the Blogger

2011-06-22T13:06:00.000-04:00

Hello! With the onslaught of summer, we've been active in a lot of other things that don't fit so well into our attempts at a scheduled life during the school year, so I've not had much time at the computer. The vegetable gardening is going well - now taken over by the girls. The plan is for me to buy my veggies from them at reduced cost for me, but still giving them an opportunity to learn the lesson of working as the way to earn money. And I am relieved of the weight of the gardening. Or, more truthfully, I am free to put more time into the flower and herb gardens - more to my liking.

My dear husband and I celebrated our 29th anniversary early this week by roaming around the Leelanau and Old Mission Penninsulas of northern Michigan and staying the night in a wonderful Bed and Breakfast called Old Mission Inn. The owners, Bruce and Angela, were delightful hosts, sharing freely of the history of the inn which was over 140 years old. (I had hoped to insert a photo here, but I'm having terrible troubles getting the photos to load, so I'm going to just post without any this time.)

The rooms were beautiful and one of the common bathrooms had a clawfoot bathtub, which I love but had never gotten to use before. It would be great for a tub, but I can live without one as a shower since the shower curtain kind of sticks to your legs and feet in the narrow tub.

The long front porch was wonderful to sit on while we waited for breakfast hour, which was cooked from a menu of our choosing, instead of just having to have what was already made. The porch overlooked a great view of the east arm of Traverse Bay.

Just up the road we ran into some friends from former days of living in that area. The wife had been our midwife for two of our homebirths. They now live in a redone big one-room schoolhouse. It was good to see them again.

I'll try to fill you in on more of what's been going on, but that's enough for now.

Another repurposed denim skirt

2011-05-30T15:45:00.000-04:00

Things have been hopping around here for a few weeks, as you could probably tell by my lack of posting. It's been fun, busy time with a three day visit from my sister's family and my mom. My sister is such a fun person to be with and is a barrel of laughs. The cousins all had a good time together, getting to know each other again and our city nephews enjoyed being out in the country. One night they slept in the back yard in a tent. Since they had never done that before, we warned them that the coyotes might howl and that they should not be worried about that since the coyotes stay far away from our yard area. Well, close to midnight we discover that the 7yo was lying there wide awake, not because of fear of coyotes, but because of disapointment that he hadn't heard any howling. Funny kid!

Another fun, busy thing that's been happening is that our son is home from college finally! He's been able to hang around awhile and just visit because the job that he'd supposed he'd have for the summer in Pennsylvania didn't pan out. So my husband and bro-in-law are both calling around to find him another job in the oilfields. Hopefully he'll still be in PA so he can be close enough to come home now and then on his days off.

But finally last evening I made it into The Quiltery and was able to finish up this cute skirt for Precious. She had started it some weeks ago and then all the other activities took over (and I think she prefers kitchen work to sewing work, which is ok with me because I'm just the other way around).

I'm also, as I often do at the end of a school year, reevaluating what we have or haven't done this year and am looking into what we should be doing over the summer and then planning for the next school year. Much prayer needed for wisdom.

Hope all's well with you all,
Wannabegodly

Spring Cleaning and Organizing!

2011-05-10T08:55:00.000-04:00

We have been extra occupied around here. Bookwork kind of studies has been shoved to the background and we've been working on "home economics". It's spring cleaning time!

Some people start their spring cleaning a lot earlier than we do, but I wait till the weather is warm enough that we can open up the house, especially if we have painting and carpet shampooing to do. Here in Michigan, that can come rather late.

I made up a list of things that need deep cleaning or things that only need cleaning once or twice a year and then divided that out into a week's worth of days and subdivided it by who would do each job. I love using the charts and forms on my computer for this preparation. So one of the older girls gets to wash all the windows outside, climbing ladder and all, whereas a younger girl can do the insides of the windows. An older girl helps with painting or touching up scratched up paint (I'm sure that never happens at anybody else's home).

So this year, the bigger bathroom was in great need of repainting and the rock floor and wall around our woodstove needed watersealing to make the color come out again and make it shinier. Those jobs are now done, too, but we might add another coat of the waterseal because it just got so absorbed even with three coats.

As part of the whole job, I've been decluttering, organizing and trying to set the house up so the work flows more easily (ergonomically). I really like how the laundry area looks now. Sweetie and I put up the shelf (it really wasn't a hard job) and the hanging rod is just a shower curtain rod. The drawers are for our folded laundry till we take it all up to closets. This set-up enables us to do the folding right on the washer and dryer instead of carting it to the dining room table and then being in the way of some people who are already getting at their studies.

Something else I've been doing with this year's spring cleaning is cleaning up the UFOs (UnFinished Objects), or WIPs (Works in Progress), that I've had gathering in the scarily messy quiltery. The mending mountain is now down to a little hill and that feels good. Precious helped me make some cute play/everyday outfits for the younger girls. We made three sets, but only caught two for the picture. We have more in the works as well as some skirts for the older girls that I'll show you as soon as we get them done. As I've shown in previous posts, I finished the church wallhangings and they are actually hanging in the church basement as of Sunday. We're also getting ready for a family reunion next week. My sister and her family whom we haven't seen in several years since they live overseas will be here, too.

And my wonderful son will be home from college for a little while before he's off to work in the oilfields again for the summer. Fortunately it looks like he'll be working on the same rig that Dear Hubby is on.

Today is piano lesson rescheduled and then tonight is the recital. Many nervous young ladies here. :)

As always, I

Wannabegodly

Signature Quilts

2011-04-28T11:01:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was a productive one for me as far as sewing goes. Saturday was a fasting day, so I didn't have to cook; Sunday after congregational worship and delicious dinner the girls played games with their dad which I opted out of since I'm not much of a game player (I heckle from nearby instead); and Monday we celebrated my and Roo's birthday (we share a birthday) a few days early so I kinda got the day off.

So I made fun use of the extra free time.

A couple of years ago, our pastor asked if we ladies would make wall-hangings of blocks with the church members' names on them. These were to be made annually. Well, being the main quilting person in the church, I was happy to head that up. We actually hand-quilted the first one, but soon it became evident that nobody else was too interested in the making of the wall-hangings, so I'm just doing myself, though I may ask people to participate in tying them (don't want to take as long as the quilted one did). I had in the back of my mind doing some back-tracking and making the two that would represent the two years of our history that were previous to when Pastor suggested the wall-hanging idea. We're just a baby church, agewise and sizewise.

So this weekend, I did the back-tracking. I had also completed the top for 2010 just a week or so ago. The blocks are signed by families, each person being represented. And we believe that God blesses us by giving us children and that He should have control of the womb, so the signature blocks have to be big enough for all the names of those many blessings.

Now to get them tied and bound. Or I might just use the sandwich and turn inside-out method.

But today is music lessons day, so we're off to that.

Resurrection Advent

2011-04-16T11:22:00.000-04:00

Last year I posted a little bit about our Easter advent activities, but I'd like to go into a little more detail this year, maybe to inspire you to do likewise or to share some of your ideas.

Twelve days before Easter, we get out our plastic colored eggs and begin to open them. In each one is a little symbol, something that goes with the Scripture we'll be reading, and a slip of paper with a Scripture reference on it. The readings pretty much follow the events of the last week before the crucifixion. I'll list what we have in each egg.

In the first egg (numbered 1 with Sharpie pen) is a tiny bottle to remind us of the bottle of spikenard that was poured out on Jesus' feet and head. The Scripture reference is John 12:1-11.

Egg #2 = paper palm leaf. Bible reading = John 12:12-19

Egg #3 = some grain (I only had rice, so it'll have to do till I can find something else). Bible = John 12:20-30

Egg #4 = needle-felted sheep with toothpick legs. Bible = Exodus 12:3-14 and John 12:31-36.

Egg #5 = small piece of towel. Bible = John 13:1-17

Egg #6 = pieces of dried tortilla (bread). Bible = Luke 22:7-20

Egg #7 = three shiny silver dimes. Bible = Luke 22:3-6 and John 18:1-14

Egg #8 = a paper picture of a rooster (Princess just told me she'll look for a chicken feather or needlefelt a rooster for this). Bible = John 18:15-27

Egg #9 = a crown of thorns, made by a friend who twisted some tiny branches into a ring, and a piece of purple fabric. Bible = John 18:28-19:5
Egg #10 = a cross made by gluing matchsticks across each other. Bible = John 19:6-37
Egg #11 = a little stone. Bible = Matt. 27:57-66
Egg #12 = EMPTY! Bible = Matt. 28:1-8 and John 20:1-31

Along with these readings, we have a wallhanging quilt that we made probably ten years ago by having the four oldest children draw pictures on fabric that depict the Bible readings.

(I have no idea why these are on their sides - they're not that way in my file. Sigh.)

Other ways that we celebrate the resurrection and our salvation through it include fasting on Saturday as a church body and then on Sunday morning, our elders prepare a pancake and egg breakfast supplemented with cinnamon rolls, breads, milk, orange juice, etc. by the rest of us. After worship service we often have my aunt over for dinner or maybe others from church. We don't particularly have traditional Easter foods, just whatever we want to make to celebrate.

We have several favorite books to read during this time also. They include: The Very First Easter by Paul L. Maier, The Easter Story by Carol Heyer and Peter's First Easter by Walter Wangerin Jr., and The Parable of the Lily by Liz Curtis Higgs.

I hope your celebrations are delightful and God-honoring and I
Wannabegodly

Two Blocks Finished

2011-04-12T08:42:00.000-04:00

As part of our spring cleaning (at least I'm trying to justify it as such), I've been going though fabric scraps - detangling them, ironing them and cutting them into usable pieces. Kinda tedious, but it's greatly improved by listening to Pastor Doug Wilson, et. al., preaching from Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. We're also watched a few movies, but then my ironing helpers lose interest in the ironing and want to watch the movie. So we haven't made great amounts of progress yet, but I have been able to thin out the unwanted and I did get all the blocks cut for Sweetie's plaid/shirting quilt. And I got two of them sewn up, so I'm off to report in at April Finishing Stitches. Woohooo!

Oops. I'm sideways again.

A Big Finish!

2011-04-09T21:09:00.000-04:00

I'm soooooo happy to have a very big finish to report for April's Finishing Stitches.

Yes! The music teacher's barter quilt is done!

Unfortunately, as we were water spraying the quilt stencil lines out we discovered that one of the red fabrics had run a little into the white fabric, even though I wash all the fabric I bring into the house. So we're trying bleach stick and it's making some difference. Any ideas would be appreciated. The run is not too bad, but enough that I'm not happy. I am still quite happy with the rest of the quilt and that it is finally done.

Now I'm off to sort and cut scraps to make some kind of order out of chaos. I like how Bonnie Hunter organizes hers, so will be working toward that.

And I get to make some pretty spring playclothes for my girls. I'll show you those when they're done.

Till later, I
Wannabegodly

Bartering to Learn

2011-04-04T08:42:00.000-04:00

What a blessing we had Saturday! Our three oldest girls got to learn how to bake bread from a lady who helps her husband in their brick oven bakery. She taught them how to make a starter, keep it alive and what to do with it from there. They got a whole day-long lesson in the science of it all as well as the art of making the perfect loaf of sturdy and wonderfully tasty whole wheat bread. She gave them a basic recipe and took them through all the steps and told them to make it just as written for about twelve times before they try things like adding cheese or herbs or anything like that though they can sprinkle seeds or herbs on top if they like. She wants them to get real comfortable with how the dough acts and what they should expect. She did teach them how to bake in our own oven though they did have the fun of getting to bake in her big brick oven.

They had such a good time and thanked me for setting that up for them though actually they will be doing the bartering business themselves since they're trading the baking lesson for babysitting her two young children while she works in their bakery.

Letting the Little Ones Help

2011-03-15T09:45:00.001-04:00

Being a naturally impatient person, I don't always let my younger children "help" as much as I should, but when I do, I find that I grow in patience, which is what I should always be seeking to do. So that is one of the many benefits of including the young ones in the work.

Some of the other benefits include:
*developing a closer relationship,
*learning to laugh together even about things that might want to frustrate you,
*teaching the child a new skill,
*getting to praise your child for following instructions,
*being forced to actually wash the kitchen floor since you've made such a mess on it that you can't ignore that job any more,
*the child discovers a new interest to pursue more fully now or when she's older and a chance to learn a different way of doing or thinking which your child may bring out.

I love the way that Rachel Jankovic describes this in her new book, Loving the Little Years. I so enjoyed this book even though most of my children are past the "little" years. The book is so full of humor, wisdom beyond Mrs. Jankovic's years and creativity that I plan to buy a copy for each of my children. It is a quick read and the chapters are short, but so full that one chapter leaves plenty for meditation. A nice length for those who are in the trenches and unable to sit down for a long read. Well worth the money.

Slapface

2011-03-12T10:37:00.000-05:00

I can't help it. This virus name cracks me up!

Two of my darling children have had a minor virus lately called Fifth Disease (it's one of the five common childhood diseases) or "Slapface". It's not at all serious, in fact, I'm sure some of my other children had it without us really noticing. It's a human parvovirus (not at all related to the dog and cat kind of parvo) and it passes in 7 - 10 days. The nickname "Slapface" comes from the bright red cheeks which last about a day, but look like you've been slapped on the cheeks.

Then follows an interesting looking rash. The rash is not usually itchy or bumpy, just kind of lacy looking. It shows up best when the child is warm, like when they first crawl out from under their covers in the morning. Mostly the rash is on the arms and legs, but some of our little friends have had rashes on the trunk part of their bodies. My older daughter also had some achiness in her joints. It also starts out with general cold symptoms which pass quickly.

So, all in all, it's just kind of a funny sickness.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2011-03-09T06:55:00.000-05:00

Today's words of wisdom come from one of my favorite authors, Elisabeth Elliot.

The ordering of a peaceful home is not possible without the application of eternal principles. It is, after all, mostly little, common things that make up our lives. This is the raw material for the spiritual life. If we despise small things, regard normal household duties as burdens, routines as boring, rules too confining, we will never learn, nor can we teach our children, to live a life of holy harmony. This takes faithfulness in the troublesome details first of all, learning to do them well that we may make of them an offering to the Lord, for it is His work, after all, given to us. It is our daily bread for which we should learn to be thankful. Such faithfulness is the groundwork for all God may ever ask us to do.

The Poison of the Sidelong Glances - Monday Musing (a day late)

2011-03-08T07:34:00.000-05:00

Often on Mondays I'm still musing over our pastor's sermon, and his sermon on the transfiguration and it's gloriousness and the way it was eclipsed by the glory of the resurrection is still in my mind, but I want to share thoughts from another sermon today.

Since our son is now member of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, I took advantage their offer to recive on CD their sermons. Not only do they help keep us connected spiritually to The Guinea Pig, but they are an excellent way for us to grow through using them in our family worship especially when my Huggy is gone.

Just a couple of days ago we listened to a sermon by Ben Merkle (author of The White Horse King, about Alfred the Great) entitled "The Poison of the Sidelong Glances". Ooh, was it convicting! The text was Matthew 20:1-16 about workers being hired to work in a vineyard, some hired for a denarius at daybreak, others being hired for "whatever is right" later throughout the day. Though those who had worked all day were paid what they'd agreed on, they began to complain as they cast a sidelong glance and saw how the others were getting as much as they though the latter crews had worked less. But the owner of the vineyard pointed out to them that the first bunch were getting what they had contracted for.

"If we look at the horizontal/subjective standard, they appear to have been wronged. But according to the vertical/objective standard, they were done no wrong. This is a sidelong glance. It is the preferring to evaluate your own circumstances relatively rather than objectively. Not only that, it is preferring the most negative relative evaluation out of all the possible comparisons. It can become such an all consuming vice that we begin to evaluate our own lot based entirely on how much we are currently inspriring this kind of jealousy in others. We look to the side just to see if others are looking sideways at us."

Mr. Merkle then went on to point out that mostly these thoughts are petty little thoughts, but they add up and become a great poison. "And all the reasons are so petty that we can't point to any one thing (because it would be so stupid) so that we just point to the whole person and say I can't stand him." Of course, this is sin and leads to broken relationships within the body of Christ and within our homes.

To combat the sidelong glance of jealousy, he suggests the following things:
1) An upward gaze - "An infinite God does not have a divided attention when he regards you. Your story is your story, lived out before God."
2) Remember that we are not in the resurrection yet. "Your current circumstances are not your final inheritance. These circumstances are merely your assignment...The circumstances are not the comparison. It's waht you do with your circumstances that matters."
3) Grace is grace. "Sideways glances depend on us getting convinced that we are owed something." God owes us nothing and yet He gives us so much.
4) Confess the petty. Be brutally honest with yourself regularly. "What are you fussing about? What is eating you? Who can you not stand to hear from? Nothing is too petty to be addressed. Confess it. Get rid of it. Don't let the cancer grow."

Of course, he fleshed this all out so well and gave probing examples and word pictures. It made me think about the things that annoy me about other people just might have their roots in jealousy. That snappy retort from junior high days, "You're just jealous" might have a ring of truth in it. More to the point, admitting that "I'm just jealous" and need to confess my sin, would cause an awful lot of growth in me and in my relationship with that person.

This was such a good thought provoking, get-to-the-heart-of-the-matter sermon, that I know we're going to listen to it quite a few more times and I highly recommend that you look up http://www.canonpress.com/ and see how you can request the sermon from February 27, 2011 sermon number 1606.

This one sin, left to grow, has brought down many a church and family. If dealt with humbly and truthfully, I see great growth for the cause of Christ in our hearts and nations.

A sinner, saved by grace, I
Wannabegodly

March Finishing Stitiches - 2 blocks

2011-03-04T17:40:00.000-05:00

Though my picture is sideways, I'll show it anyhow. The left two blocks are the two I finished this week for a plaid sampler quilt I'm making for Sweetie. She made the right two blocks when we were thinking that she'd make the quilt herself. She's discovered that she's content to learn how to mend and that other sewing machine adventures are fine left to others. She has enough of a basis in sewing and is comfortable enough with the machine that I'm fine with her not pursuing it much. If someday she decides that she'd like to learn more and do more sewing, she's got enough of a foundation that she will be able to do that on her own. \

Now I'm off to report my finishes on Joy's Finishing Stitches here http://www.joysquilts.blogspot.com/.

Hoping your day is beautful, I

Wannabegodly

Lapbooking Fun

2011-02-23T08:54:00.001-05:00

We've recently discovered the fun and benefit of lapbooking. I'm impressed by how much 6yo Peanut Pixie-face remembers of our studies of Ancient Egypt, mostly because of her lapbooking and enjoying rereading her lapbook and showing Daddy and Aunt Barb her lapbook and anybody else who would sit still long enough. Unfortunately, we didn't really do lapbooks or notebooks when we studies Ancient Rome, so she doesn't remember as much. Oh, well, the plan is to repeat those studies at a deeper level in about four years, so we'll do it then.

We also learned much about insects while doing lapbooks on an alphabetical listing of insects to study. We used this study as a review of the alphabet as well as our science studies. The forms as well as lessons plans for this study came from http://www.lapbooklessons.com/ . I just hope they get the whole series finished soon. Of course, I could go on on my own, but it just hasn't happened yet.

So yesterday I spent a lot of time (slow computer) printing up form and plans for lapbooking our current studies of the Middle Ages. I think we'll have fun using them. I got a unit study from http://www.homeschoolshare.com/ on Robin Hood as well as ones on knights and vikings. They have little lapbooking booklets to print off and easily fill out and put in your lapbook (or notebook for the older kids).

I've found that printing on cardstock, both white and colored, adds some sturdiness to the booklets so they don't get crumpled as little hands enjoy their books over and over. Also a friend gave us a helpful book called The Ultimate Lap Book Handbook which we use for reference and booklet ideas. I am reminded now that I need to make more use of it!

I encourage you to give this a try; maybe start with a lapbook on one of the aforementioned websites. I think you find it fun and very beneficial for retention and review.

Motivated to do better, I
Wannabegodly

2011-02-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to have three finishes to report as well as a start. I've told myself that I have to finish at least two things before I will allow myself to start something new, so I'm obeying my rules well. In fact, I might be kissing up to myself by finishing one more than required.

Well, on to the show:

This is the "compendium quilt" that I made for my aunt for Christmas. My darling husband gave me a gift certificate to rent the long-arm quilting machine at the local quilt shop and I had a blast playing on it and quilting this with a free-form style of rows of bows. I finally got the binding on - also playing with doing it all with machine, something I'm only just starting to learn.

I also finished the binding on this Christmas lap quilt. I had machine quilted it on my own machine since there was no batting to make it fat and unwieldy.

This materials for this skirt have been sitting in my quiltery for a few months, waiting its turn. Well, this weekend became its turn, so I cut off the bottom of the denim and added the plaid ruffles for my plaid-loving daughter. One of the ruffles had been a plain tablerunner; one was from pillowshams I'd picked up at the thrift store; one I don't know where I got; the last, skinny one was from a shirt, either my husband's or my son's. Sweetie loves it and wore it to church this morning.

The "start" is going to be a wallhanging for our entry room which will serve the dual purpose of decorating that plain wall as well as teaching the seasons and months to my younger daughters. I plan to make a wallhanging of the season blocks, which are colored with Crayola crayons & then ironed for permanancy, and then sew buttons all along the outer borders. Onto the bottom buttons I will hang a different month block each month, having made them using a variety of techniques that I want to try but don't want to make a big project of yet. Sound fun? It does to me, even if I am getting a late start on the monthly blocks. I do have January and February blocks prepared for bluework and redwork embroidery. Not sure yet what I'll do for March, but I'm considering hand-applique which I've never tried. Maybe Sunbonnet Sue? We'll see what inspiration strikes.

Well, I hope you're doing something creative!

Wannabegodly

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2011-02-16T06:59:00.000-05:00

These words of wisdom come from Kate B. Wilkinson can be found in many old hymnbooks. If our family has a "theme song," I think it would be this one.

May the mind of Christ my Savior live in me from day to day

By his love and pow'r controlling all I do and say.

May the word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour,

So that all may see I triumph only thoruhg his pow'r.

May the peace of God my Father, rule my life in everything,

That I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea:

Him exalting self abasing; this is victory.

May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe,

Looking only unto Jesus as I onward go.

May his beauty rest upon me as I seek the lost to win,

And my they forget the channel, seeing only Him.

Seeking to serve, I

Wannabegodly

The Blessing of A Grand-person

2011-02-01T13:02:00.000-05:00

Since my mom lives so far away, Dad is with the Lord as is my dear mother-in-love and my father-in-love is also far away, our family is so thankful that my aunt lives nearby and fills the role of grand-person. She was a missionary schoolteacher to the Navajo people and when she retired, we asked that she come live near us so we could "take care of her in her old age." Well, she's done so much to bless us that we feel more like she's taking care of us. Every Monday evening for the past 12+ years she's come over for dinner, bringing one of her world-class pies (I blame my weight on her!) and we've had delightful visits with her. On Thursday afternoons we go to her apartment and have a snack time and pop in and out from music lessons so children don't have to stay at the music studio for too many hours waiting for siblings. Aunt Barb will turn 80 this fall, but she's still very active, especially in her church, helping in various, often unseen ways that are a good example for us. We thank God for the relative good health she has and ask that He will be preparing us for the time when her health is not so good and we need to step into a greater degree of servanthood for her. We know He has taught us much through Aunt Barb and will continue to use her in our spiritual growth, hopefully for many more years. :)

Yesterday she came, bringing Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie, during the day, because foul weather was expected for the evening. She very patiently spent probably an hour working with the Peanut Pixie-face on her reading and numbers. It was both inspiring and funny to listen to them working together. Aunt Barb was so patient when Peanut was not exactly keeping her mind on things, but at one point I had to laugh as Aunt Barb commented, "I remember now why I retired."

I have to show you this lovely doll quilt she made for the Peanut for Christmas. So cute!

Because Aunt Barb was doing my work and the other girls were doing their independent studies, I was able to machine quilt some more on this quickie summer quilt I pieced for the Princess. She just turned 13 and loves Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairies and has learned a lot about wildflowers from her book, The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies. For the quilt, I had purchased some remnants of the Flower Fairy fabric. So I just made some colorful borders around the fairy blocks, added a wide border that looks like a fairy garden around the outside and am quilting it onto a blue gingham flannel with no batting. It's rather simple and quick, which is what we needed right now.

I still have some meander quilting to do in the flower border and then the binding, but that shouldn't take too long.

Once again, I am much blessed, so I

Wannabegodly

Oh, my! What's this in my freezer?

2011-01-29T10:01:00.000-05:00

You've got to see what's in my freezer, waiting for our church hymn sing this Sunday evening!

Precious got a new cupcake cookbook for her birthday so she was happy to have an excuse to play with it. She spent most the afternoon playing. :) The book is a beautiful book entitled Hello, Cupcake and it's full of fun and beautiful cupcake recipes as well as ways to decorate them. It has ideas for faces, little people sleeping under quilts, a variety of dog breeds, horses and butterflies among other things. It also has several ideas of arrangements of decorated cupcakes so as to present a whole picture of something bigger, like cupcakes arranged to look like an alligator, penguins on a snowy iceberg, spaghetti and meatballs and a TV dinner. If you want to pretend that you're eating healthily, make the Garden Party group of cupcakes which are topped with frosting vegetables. Sunflower cupcakes would help us pretend we're having summer weather or we could face reality and make the snowmen cupcakes. Turkey cupcakes could be a different dessert for Thanksgiving and bowling pins could be served after a fun outing to the bowling alley.

I predict we will be enjoying cupcakes at many a treat-time. Especially since we also got another cupcake cookbook for Princess, but I'll tell you about that one next Friday. I hope you look into this book and enjoy some of the fun with us.

Rejoicing,
Wannabegodly

A Finish! - Quilted Tote Bag

2011-01-27T07:58:00.000-05:00

Besides a cute little teabag wallet I made for a friend's birthday, I have my first finish for 2011! At least it's a finish of something that was already started in 2010. I'll have a few more finishes in a few days, but they were started in 2011. Confused? Well, let me just get to showing you the tote bag.

It's my mom's belated birthday gift. I'm also planning to tuck into it one of the cute teabag wallets, but I have to make it first. :) I'll show that to you when I'm done.

This tote was made from a Cross and Crown block and an Ohio Star block that I had pieced and handquilted last year as part of a BOM I set up for our church ladies. Well, it turns out that I was the only one really interested in doing the BOM (no, a couple of the girls are collecting the patterns to do later), so I decided to use the blocks for other things and came up with this bag for mom. I hope she finds it useful as well as pretty.

I hope your day is full of good accomplishments. I'm off to link up to Finishing Stitches.
Wannabegodly

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2011-01-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

I have recently rediscovered this gem, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Attitude

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. It is more important than the past, than education, that money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our Attitude. by Chuck Swindoll

I hope you make it a wonderful day by having a godly, cheerful attitude!
Wannabegodly

To Blog or Not To Blog; That is the question.

2011-01-23T19:05:00.000-05:00

After neglecting to write anything for a long while (mainly because I've not had time, son has been home from college and we've had a major change in life-style with my husband's new career), I'm wondering if I should continue blogging at all, just blog now & then, or step it up and go "whole hog". Much thinking yet to be done. And if anybody out there reads this, I'd appreciate ideas.

Wannabegodly

The Voice Teacher's Quilt

2011-01-01T11:34:00.000-05:00

Thanks to getting to sit and visit long at the New Year's Eve party at church friends' home last night, I made some good progress on the barter quilt for voice lessons. I love the handquilting pattern I chose for the blocks, but it does take more time to quilt each block. I thinks it's worth it, but I hope the teacher isn't in a big hurry for her quilt.

I am having fun doing it.

Rejoicing, I
Wannabegodly

Christmas quilts

2010-12-28T08:22:00.000-05:00

Now that I have a little time to do so, I'd like to show you some of the stuff I've been sewing.

I had fun working on this "Compendium" quilt, which is a compendium or collection of "orphan blocks" and projects I or the girls had started and just weren't going anywhere for various reasons. It was like working on a puzzle to get things to all fit together, but maybe more fun because I got to figure out the puzzle as well as put it together. I was a little afraid that my aunt wouldn't like it so much, but I should not have feared. She loves it! I still have to get to the quilt shop where I can rent the quilting machine (with the gift certificate my darling husband gave me) so I can quilt it for her.

This quilt has been in the works since last Christmas off and on and I finally got it to a usable state. It still needs the binding, but we've enjoyed it on the back of the loveseat anyhow. It's only a lap quilt size and doesn't have any batting, just a flannel backing. But it's just right for our living room which has the main source of heat, the wood stove, in it.

The next big project in "the Quiltery" is to sort through stuff, throw some away, give some away, cut some into more useable pieces (strips and squares) and thoroughly organize it, probably using Bonnie Hunter's scrap saver system. I'd show you a picture of the "before" but it would be too horrifying. Maybe I'll show a picture of "during" a little later.

Because I again am so blessed, I
Wannabegodly

Advent Activities - Days 16 - 19 plus some quilting

2010-12-23T17:40:00.000-05:00

Again, while I haven't kept up with posting the Advent activity cards, we have pretty much kept up with the doing of them here at our house. Here are days 16 - 19:

Day #___Jesus is Immanuel.

Matt. 1:23

Activity: Imagine! God is with us! Think about what Jesus left in heaven for our sake. Think about the honor He gave up to become a frail and helpless baby. What about the riches He left to be born in a not so lovely stable? How about the unbroken unity and fellowship with His Father which was totally broken as He hung on the cross. But He was willing to live among us and to sacrifice for us because He loves us so!

Today we watch the movie “Herod the Great, Jesus the King - The True Christmas Story” by Ray Vander Laan.

Day #___Jesus is a Servant.
Isaiah 49:3; John 13:3-15

Activity: The King of the Universe humbled Himself to the point of washing dirty, dusty feet of those who should have been humble enough to do that job for Him. How about us? Are we humble and willing to do things for our family and others that may not be very pleasant things to have to do? The best route to godliness and spiritual growth (which I hope is our greatest goal) is to imitate our Master. Let’s be joyful and willing servants.

Today we’ll paint our little nativities. (These are simple, tiny ceramic nativities that I clear-glazed so that they can be washed and repainted every year.)

Day #___Jesus is the Lamb of God.
John 1: 29

Activity: In the Old Testament, we learn that a lamb was often sacrificed for the sins of mankind. The Passover lamb had to be one that was perfect - no spots or bad health. The sacrificing of a lamb was to illustrate that the wages or payment for sin is death. The lamb died for the people. Jesus came as a perfect lamb who once and for all fulfilled the requirement of death for sin. His death was our death if we acknowledge Him as our substitute, Savior and Lord.

We’ll bake our Sour Cream cookies with our lamb cookie cutter as well as make Sour Cream and Chocolate Pinwheels.

Day #___ Jesus is our Redeemer and Savior. Philippians 2:5-11

This baby born in a manger later grew up to die on a tree. Through His death and His forever conquering of death because He rose again from the dead, we are redeemed, or bought back, from the power of sin and death. He carried all our ugly sinfulness on that tree and left its power forever buried when He came back to life. We are saved from being slaves to sin as well as from the eternal punishment for sin. Oh, how thankfully we should live!

Let’s get our tree and decorate it today. (As I said before, we saved this activity for so late because we had to wait for the Guinea Pig to get home from college. It just wouldn't have been the same without him.)

I had hoped to show you a lap quilt I've been working on, but our very slow computer + dial-up wouldn't cooperate, so I'll have to show it later.

I hope your Christmas season has been a time of understanding what a gift God has given us, though actually it is quite beyond our understanding.

Wannabegodly

Advent Activities - Day 15 & Recipe

2010-12-15T07:27:00.000-05:00

As our advent activities continue, we come to day 15. The card (tucked into John 6:35) says:

Jesus is the Bread of Life. John 6:35

Why would Jesus call Himself the Bread of Life? Could it be that bread or food is one of the most basic needs and Jesus wanted people to realize that He is our most basic need? The Jewish people were wanting Him to produce bread like they said Moses had given them manna, not realizing that their need was so much greater than the mere filling of their bellies. Do we do the same theing, focusing on our physical needs and wants to the neglect of our spiritual and total need of Jesus? Meditate on it today as we bake and freeze our "sweet bread" of Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls.

Here is the recipe for our traditional wonderful Cinnamon Rolls. I hope you give them a try - they are so moist and not so "sicky-sweet" as some.

Family Tradition Cinnamon Rolls (modified from Cooking From Quilt Country)

(325 degrees for 10 min.; raise to 350 degrees for 5 min.)

In a small saucepan, boil: 1 medium sliced potato (enough to make ½ c. mashed potato)

Mash with fork (do not add milk or seasoning)

In large mixing bowl, mix thoroughly:

1 ½ c. warm water

½ sugar or honey

½ c. vegetable oil

½ c. mashed potato

1 egg

2 tsp. salt

4 tsp. active dry yeast

Add: 3 T. nonfat dry milk powder (not totally necessary)

3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix well. (Can beat with electric beater for 3 min.)

Gradually add: 2 ½ - 3 c. whole wheat flour

Mix and knead for about 10 minutes, till dough is stiff yet soft, not sticky.

Grease a large, deep bowl with oil; form the dough into smooth ball and place in bowl. Oil the top of the dough also. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place until it has doubled, about 1 ¾ hours.

Punch dough down very thoroughly to break up any air bubbles. Form again into a smooth ball, place in the regreased bowl, turning it over so the top of the dough is also greased. Cover, and let rise for 1 hour.

Punch dough down again, then transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a rectangle 15 x 12 inches - it should be about 1 ¾ inches thick. If you prefer smaller rolls, divide the dough into two rectangles and/or roll it out thinner.

Spread the dough with: 1/3 c. butter, softened

In a small bowl, mix: ¾ c. brown sugar

1 ½ T. ground cinnamon

Sprinkle sugar mix over the butter. Tightly roll dough up from the long side. Pat the ends towards center to “square” them up a little. With a serrated knife, cut the roll using a sawing motion into 1 ½ inch rolls.

Place slices cut side up, 1 ½ inches apart, on greased cookie sheets or 9x13 pans. Cover with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake the rolls for 10 minutes, then raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven and invert pans onto wax paper-lined wire racks. Allow to cool completely. Frost.

Not-Too-Sweet Frosting

In mixer bowl, beat:

½ c. (1 stick) butter, softened

2 T flour

1 c. confectioners’ sugar

Speck salt

1 t. vanilla

Blend well. Frost rolls.

Sometimes I’ll arrange the long tube into two or three large circles, cutting slits every inch or so and then bake and frost with green frosting to make wreath-looking rolls.

Enjoy!
Wannabegodly

Advent Activities - Days 9 - 14 Catching Up!

2010-12-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

Aagh! I didn't keep up with posting the Advent activities. No surprise, but still disappointing. So, now I'm catching up. We did keep up as a family but just didn't get them posted.

Day 9 card reads:

Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor. Isaiah 9:6; 2 Cor. 7:6

Activity: Jesus has all of God's wisdom and has given it to us through His Word. The Holy Spirit brings it to our minds as we learn His Word and He gives comfort and wise counsel through it. Today we set up the next two oldests' nativities.

Day 10 says:

Jesus is the Mighty God. Isaiah 9:6; Rev. 5:8-14

Activity: As God, Jesus is worthy of our worship and obedience. One of the best gifts we can give to Him, indeed we owe Him, is obedience. As He said, if we love Him we will obey Him. It's the least we can do for him and actually, we will be happier if we do obey. "There's no other way to be happy in Jesus thatn to trust and obey." Today we get to enjoy baking sugar cookies, most of which we'll freeze for future decorating.

Day 11 reads:

Jesus is the Everlasting Father. Isaiah 9:6; John 10:27-30

Activity: God has blessed us with an opportunity to know Him as Father through the loving earthly father He has given. Fathers love, sacrifice, encourage, inspire, strengthen, teach, hold accountable, provide and carry burdens for us. Our Heavenly Father does all this without sin or tiredness! Today we'll have a special Father/Daughter Christmas Tea.

(Another lady in our church helped me to prepare a tea for all the fathers and daughters of our church. We had lots of delicious goodies, a fine talk from our pastor about the relationships between fathers and their children and games of family teams as well as individuals. It was fun to make up a game of matching fathers and daughters of the Bible. You could just make a little tea time at home for your own family members to simplify this activity.)

Our family at the Father/Daughter Tea.

Day 12 says:

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6; John 14:27

Activity: Jesus brought a peace that is everlasting, not just for the moment. We can have peace in our hearts even though there seems to be chaos and commotion going on all around us because we know that He is in control of all things and we have nothing to fear nor anything about which to worry. Today we get to hang our stockings.

Day 13 is:

Jesus is the Light of the World. Luke 1:78-79; John 8:12

Activity: Sin has darkened our world. The light of truth, joy and peace cannot shine through the sinfulness unless Jesus breaks through that awful darkness and reveals Himself as the Light that allows us to see the Truth - God Himself. Today we get to hand Christmas lights in the windows and outdoors.

Day 14 (today) says:

Jesus is the Cornerstone. Ps. 118:22

It is upon Jesus, His Godhood, His life on earth and His death and resurrection, that all our faith is built. Just as a rightly laid strong cornerstone causes a building to be put up correctly and to stand strongly for a very long time, so Jesus builds His church correctly and strongly. It's all about Him. Today we building little buildings ourselves of gingerbread or graham crackers and decorate them with candies.

The Guinea Pig's graham cracker house from 2006.

This week we got to make use of the versatility of this advent system. Since, for the most part, this plan doesn't have to come about in any certain order, the cards have blanks for the day numbers, so I pencil in the numbers as they fit into what's happening otherwise in our lives. We had originally planned to do the gingerbread houses on Monday with some friends, but realized that would be rushed because of a doctor appointment in the afternoon, so we changed the cards and are doing the gingerbread houses today instead. We have also made it that we don't actually get our tree till the day after The Guinea Pig gets home from college because it's such a fun family activity (snowball fights, cutting our own tree, throwing Mom into a snowbank, having hot cocoa, decorating the tree together, getting ornament hangers from the Hanger Doober Dude, etc.) that he couldn't be left out of it. So you can rearrange things to fit how your family does it.

I hope you're enjoying your Christmas season and are using many Christ-centered ideas.

Wannabegodly

Advent Activities - Day 8

2010-12-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

Continuing to post our Advent Activity plans, the card for Day 8 (tucked into Matthew 21) reads:

Jesus is our Prophet, Priest and King. Acts 3:22-25; Heb. 4:14-16; Matt. 21:5-11

Activity: A prophet is a messenger, one who tells God's word and foretells God's doings. Jesus brought the good news of salvation from God as well as foretelling many things which did happen and have yet to happen. A priest represents the people before God, delivers offerings to Him and brings God's forgiveness to the people. Jesus pleads our cause before His Father, delivered Himself up as our offering to God and brought forgiveness to all who believe in Him. Jesus is our King who rules our lives and worlds and who is worthy of our adoration. Today let's decorate our home to honor our King and the celebration of His birth. We'll save the lights till later.

Advent Activities - Days 6 & 7

2010-12-05T22:28:00.001-05:00

I got to thinking that, just in case anybody actually wants to do some of the advent activities we're doing, I should post them a day or two ahead of when they would be done so you could prepare for them. So I'm now posting days 6 and 7.

Day 6 card (tucked into Psalm 19) will read:

God gives us the gift of His word. Psalm 19:7-11

Activity: To remind us of the sweetness of God's law, today we will bake Jesus' birthday cupcakes.

*(Into six of the cupcakes we have baked foil-wrapped slips of paper which say things like "Present Passing Pal," "Turn on tree lights," "Turn on window/outdoor lights," "Put first ornament on tree," "Put star on treetop," "Pass out the stockings." Each of our six children get one of these cupcakes in which is hidden their privilege for the season.)*

Day 7 card (tucked into John 3) will say:

God gives us the most precious gift of His Son, Jesus. John 3:16-17

Activity: Through God's giving up His Son for us, he has given us so many gifts. Jesus is our Salvation, our Redeemer, our Master or Lord, our Friend and He is our only comfort and hope. From now till Christmas Eve, our advent will focus on some of the names given to Jesus so we can see what a wonderful gift He is. Today we will set out the two youngest girls' nativity sets.

*(We have given each child their own nativity set throughout the years since we have wanted our decorations and thoughts to be primarily about the true meaning and event of Christmas.)*

While I'm doing these posts, I also want to show you some of our special decorations and share some favorite recipes, so today I'll share this wallhanging which I put together last year.

The story behind this is special to me. You see, my mom made the center crewel work years ago and just never got it framed. She asked if I'd like it, which of course I did, so I brought it home to think of what to do with it. I "just happened" to be doing a star themed Block of the Month at the local quilt shop with Thimbleberries fabric which "just happened" to go perfectly with the colors in Mom's crewel. So they came together in a very happy union with a four embroidery blocks of "Wonderful Counselor," "Mighty God," "Everlasting Father," and "Prince of Peace" added to the mix. I hand-quilted it and it now hangs in our dining room.

Because of His precious gift of love, I

Wannabegodly

Advent Activities - Days 3, 4 & 5

2010-12-05T17:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess I knew I'd have trouble keeping up with posting an Advent activity every day, so I'm playing catch-up now. It's been busy with voice recital and working on the voice teacher's quilt as well as our own Christmas preparations and then running a fever with an awful headache for a couple of days. But, hopefully that's done with!

So, here's the Advent card for Day 3 (tucked into Romans 6):

God gives us the gift of eternal life. Romans 6:23

Activity: Since we're so blessed with the gift of eternal life, let's share the joy by writing our Christmas letter to our family and friends. You may pick you own photo to go with it (with Mom's final approval).

*(We let each of the children write or dictate a paragraph - or page if you're the resident wordy one. That may be changing as some are getting tired of doing this.)*

The Advent card for Day 4 (tucked into Ephesians 2) says:

God gives us the gift of faith. Ephesians 2:8-10

Activity: Since we have been given this precious gift, by which we are saved from sin, we want to share the faith with others. We can get a start at that by making good relationships with people. Today's activity is to make gift bags to take to our neightbors and to the librarians and health care helpers. Also prepare for tomorrow's gift-giving to church members.

The Advent card for Day 5 - today - (tucked into Ephesians 4) says:

God gives us the gift of grace and spiritual gifts. Ephesians 4:7-16

Activity: Even as we are to pass along the spiritual gifts God gives us by ministering to our church family, today we will also pass along material gifts to our church family.

*(Since we have only seven families in our church, it's not a monstrous thing to give a gift bag to each family. Last year, we had the fun of having each family over for desserts throughout the Christmas season and gave their gifts then, but this year we're just handing them out at church and may plan to have families over after Christmas when Guinea Pig is home from college. This activity didn't actually work out for today because there was a glitch in our Cinnamon Jelly making, so we have to re-do and hand out the gifts next Sunday. The best-laid plans...Oh, well, it teaches us flexibility.)*

We're also counting down the days till the Guinea Pig gets home from college. The younger girls made a paper chain to count it down. I wish he could have been home to hear three of his sisters in their first-ever voice recital. They did great!

Wannabegodly

Advent Activities - Days 1 & 2

2010-12-02T10:06:00.000-05:00

I know I'm a "day late and a dollar short", but "better late than never". The plan is to post a series on our Advent activities and hope that I keep up. :)

We start by hanging this wallhanging which was a little-by-little work of several years. The Log Cabin Christmas Tree pattern came from Quilt in a Day and is fairly simple to put together.

Then I decided to turn it into an Advent calendar by cross-stitching the numbers and adding them to the bottom. Little plastic canvas circles hung on hooks became ornament pouches by sewing two together for sliding in little slips of paper. In previous years, those slips of paper have said what activity we do for that day. This year is a little different. To start our 24 days, we're looking at seven of the gifts that God gives us, culminating in the seventh being Jesus himself. Then we're focusing some of the names of Jesus. So in each ornament is written one or two Scripture references. The Scripture references lead us to the Bible wherein is tucked the advent card for the day.

Yesterday's card (tucked into James 1)said:

Day 1 - God gives us wealth and every good gift. Eccl. 5:19; James 1:17

Activity: Find the $10 bill hidden shomewhere in the main living rooms of the house (not in bedrooms or bathrooms). Whoever finds it get to put it in the Jesus' Birthday Bank (*something we collect thoughout the year and give to a worthy charity at Christmas as our "gift" to Jesus*) and get to keep the $1 bill hidden iwth it. There is no time limit on this, butyour responsibilities must be done before you may spend time searching. When it is found, we will prepare the Jesus' Birthday Bank money for mailing or taking.

Today's card (tucked into Galatians 5) reads:

Day 2. God gives us the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38-39; Gal. 5:22-26

Activity: It is the Holy Spirit in us that enables us to do anything good or right. Relying on His power to help you, write on an index card what gift of righteousness you want to give back to Him this coming year and keep it in your personal devotions caddy so you can pray for His power and be reminded to work on it daily. Let's remember to pray for each other's spiritual growth also.

These cards are 1/4 of a sheet of paper, printed on red cardstock. I hope to post photos of them along the way, but my computer is being particularly slow today. Maybe I'll even figure out how to make a separate page and put the whole plan up there, as soon as I get it all written. :) Inspiration struck late this year so it's all a little fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants.

Since this post has been kind of a rush job in between getting breakfast for people, I'm happy to try to clarify any confusions I may have caused.

Blessed beyond measure, I

Wannabegodly

What Birds and Children Know

2010-11-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a good something to keep in mind as we enter the "busy holiday season." Even if we don't have time or place for quiet meditation like we'd sometimes enjoy, we can create a quiet and serene atmosphere in our homes and especially in our hearts.

I need wide space in my heart,
Where faith and I can go apart,
And grow serene.
Life gets too choked by busy living;
Kindness so lost in fussy giving,
That love slips by unseen.

I want to make a quiet place,
Where those I love can see God's face,
Can stretch their heart across the earth,
Can understand what Spring is worth;

Can count the stars;
Watch violets grow,
And learn what birds and children know.

From the Scottish Recorder 1930

Thanksgiving Notebook

2010-11-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

I've had such a blessed time this morning, while the older girls were out hunting with their dad, doing some Thanksgiving preparations with the younger two. While the girls painted the Pilgrim salt and pepper shakers and pumpkin napkin rings,

I worked on the Thanksgiving blessing notes of which I'd written yesterday. Many of them go along with the Thanksgiving wallhanging which I explained yesterday also. We had several years' worth of notes jumbled in a box, so I sorted them chronologically as best I could and began gluing them into a regular old composition notebook with spray adhesive (a sticky messy job best done on an old sheet). It was a delight to read the old papers and to chuckle at the spellings of younger children. I wrote in a few stories of what was going on at the time, to explain some of the blessings and for future generations to enjoy.

Then, still using the spray adhesive as well as the hot glue gun, I covered the notebook with fabric and glued yellow cardstock to the insides of the covers to cover up the fabric edges.

It all ended up using quite a few pages (I told you yesterday that we're much blessed!), so this notebook might have to soon be joined by another. The more the merrier!

I believe this is a very valuable use of time and a little money because we are commanded many times in the Bible to give thanks, to count our blessings, to remember what great things (and little things) God has done for us. It also lifts our spirits to get our minds onto the good things. As Elisabeth Elliot puts it, "We accept and thank God for what is given, not allowing the not-given to spoil it."

Much blessed, I

Wannabegodly

Thanksgiving Wallhanging

2010-11-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

How do you count your blessings, specifically during the Thanksgiving season? Around our home, this season is celebrated very diligently as we have so much for which to be thankful. We don't allow any Christmas celebrating to begin until we've wrung all the giving thanks out of the Thanksgiving weekend that we can. (Actually, one can't totally wring all the thanksgiving out, since there are an infinite number of things for which to be thankful.) We do have pianists practicing Christmas music and surruptitious Christmas gift-making going on all over, but other than that we're making sure that we don't skip the all-important holy-day of Thanksgiving.

So, to help us focus on this day, we read books like The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh and Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende and Harry Devlin as well as Samuel Eaton's Day, Sarah Morton's Day and Tapenum's Day by Kate Waters. We also paint ceramic figures of pilgrims that I glazed years ago so that we could wash them off and repaint every year. Our church has a worship service on Thanksgiving morning and then feasting together in the afternoon and evening. On either Friday or Saturday we have individual family feasts and celebrating and then gather together on the other day again for a talent show, cooking contest and shared meal. Then our Sunday worship service again reinforces our giving of thanks to our gracious triune God.

But to help focus on giving thanks for our many blessings in our home, we have the Thanksgiving wallhanging.

We cut apples, pumpkins and leaves from colored contruction paper and keep them in a pocket on the tree trunk till we're ready to write another blessing for which we're thankful. Straight pins hold them to the wallhanging. Little people who don't write so well draw theirs (and get help with the straight pin!).

This was such a simple and quick wallhanging to make. I just zig-zag stitched the large shapes onto a square of flannel without even putting in any batting. Then it was a quick job to sew on the binding.

This year I'm starting a notebook in which I will glue all the apples, pumpkins and leaves from this year as well as some we still have from previous years. It should become a precious blessings journal.

Because of all God's many blessings, I

Wannabegodly

Words of Wisdom - Living

2010-11-10T08:13:00.000-05:00

To touch the cup with eager lips and taste, not drain it;
To woo and tempt and court a bliss - and not attain it;
To fondle and caress a joy, yet hold it lightly,
Lest it become necessity and cling too tightly;
To watch the sun set in the west without regretting;
To hail its advent in the east - the night forgetting;
To smother care in happiness and grief in laughter;
To hold the present close - not questioning hereafter;
To have enough to share - to know the joy of giving;
To thrill with all the sweets of life - is living.
- Unknown author

The Business of Bartering

2010-11-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

I finally figured out how to add an Etsy store button to my sidebar, so if you're interested in some of the crafts we do around here, but don't care to make them yourself, you can check them out in our store (LilacCottageCreation). Today I added another tea cozy.

These are so simple to make and I'll post a tutorial (or at least simple instructions) if there is an interest.

I've also gotten to make a good start on the quilt that we're bartering for voice lessons for two of the girls.

I'm so glad the voice teacher likes the bright colors that have been calling to me lately so I get to enjoy working with them. They honestly make me smile.

It has been such a blessing to me and the rest of the fabric that we've been able to barter for some services. Our relationship with the piano teacher also first began through a hand-quilting job she needed done. As I told in a previous post, I was able to barter machine quilting for a hand-quilting job and now I get to trade a quilt for voice lessons. If you have a skill or interest or commodity, consider trying to barter with it. It doesn' hurt to try. I'd love to hear any barter stories people have to share - I could use more ideas!

Because God has blessed us so richly, I

Wannabegodly

Reformation Day celebrations

2010-11-04T10:23:00.000-04:00

With all the studying and preparing food and sewing dresses and frustrating antique computer, I've not blogged in quite a while, but I want to share some of the fun and blessings of our church's Reformation Day celebrations. Since Reformation Day (Oct. 31) was on a Sunday this year, we decided to make the celebrations extend over the whole weekend.

Friday night was a square dance with many of the particpants being dressed in medieval-type costume. Precious had spent much time sewing dresses, hats and/or capes for our girls. Her own dress was made from a set of queen size satin sheets found at a yard sale for $2.00! And a little boughten fabric and trim (on sale, of course).

The dress she made for Sweetie was also a sheet given to us by Aunt Barb; the vest made from a sheet and fabric piece from a thrift store and the overskirt was from an old dress-up dress we had for childrens' play. I love repurposing!

The blue fabric for these outfits also came from a yard sale (16 yards for $5.00). Pixie Face's dress was made last year, as was the matching one I wore this year and the Roo's white dress was a thrift store find.

Princess' dress was a hand-me-down from some friends.

Saturday was games, potluck and bonfire at our house. After a delightful time of worship on Sunday, we had a shared meal and then a pie contest! That was a delicious time! And Princess got Honorable Mention for her mixed berry pie. It was wonderfully tasty.

Again we're rejoicing, in the truth of the Reformation and in the joy of celebrating it. So I

Wannabegodly

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2010-10-20T09:14:00.000-04:00

"It is love in old age, no longer blind, that is true love. For love's highest intensity doesn't necessarily mean its highest quality. Glamour and jealousy are gone; and the ardent caress, no longer needed, is valueless compared to the reassuring touch of a trembling hand. Passersby commonly see little beauty in the embrace of young lovers on a park bench, but the understanding smile of an old wife to her husband is one of the loveliest things in the world." - Booth Tarkington

Two Finishes!

2010-10-19T09:29:00.000-04:00

I have joined the line-up of people needing encouragment to finish their quilting projects at Joys Quilts (and as soon as I figure out how to do it, I'm going to add her button to my sidebar). So I get to show off my two finishes for October (in a humble sort of way, of course).

This yo-yo vest has been in the works for close to two years now, I think. I designed it by tracing a vest that Princess already had. I'm tickled that it still fits her and that she likes it. And I'm tickled to be finished!

Joy also encourages us to finish a quilt block, for instance from a block of the month. This past January, I began giving block patterns to the ladies of our church in an effort, mostly, to help myself use up my scraps. I also had four of my five daughters joining in, in more of an effort at using up more of our scraps. We did pretty well for awhile, but when summer came, everything got set aside for being outside. So, now it's time to get caught up and back on schedule. Two of my girls informed me that they thought the blocks were too difficult and they didn't want to continue. Though I explained that I'd stand right over them and take them step-by-step through them, I didn't think it was something that they really had to do and they're enjoying learning other handwork right now. So, I'm working on what they had started or what I had cut out already for them and will probably turn those blocks into a smaller quilt for charity.

Anyhow, here is the block that Princess had started and I finished up this week:

Thanks, Joy, for the encouragement from clear over in Australia!

Wannabegodly

First Handsewing/quilting Project

2010-10-14T12:30:00.000-04:00

What do you do when your six-year-old has trouble telling her right hand from her left? How about if this causes trouble during her piano practice? And how do you help her get comfortable with needle and thread?

Well, besides painting The Peanut's fingernails red on the right hand and blue on the left hand and color coordinating her piano music to match with red and blue pencils, here's how we're working on both challenges and having a fun project, too!

She enjoyed sticking her hands in the paints and putting them on old sheet fabric. Then with a special quilter's disappearing ink pen (the ink disappears in water), I wrote LEFT and RIGHT for her to embroider with a simple back-stitch. Then I made dashed outlines of the hands with about 1/2 inch long dashes for her to quilt the batting and backing onto the panel. She has now finished all the stitching and we're going to work on putting a binding around it, label the back (a must with all good quilters) and hang it above the piano.

She's excited about getting it done and with the possibility that we might enter it in the fair next summer!

On another note, today is my nephew's birthday, so we wish him a very happy day, though his day is about over since he's on the other side of the world as a missionary kid in the Philippines.

Again rejoicing in God's blessings, I

Wannabegodly

Repurposed clothes

2010-10-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to some friends, we have found a fun way to have some new clothes for less money and to have the fun of sewing without the not-so-fun challenge of zippers, facings, buttonholes, etc. We enjoy finding clothes at thrift stores and yard sales and remaking them to our liking.

Here are some samples:

To do the skirts, we cut them off just below the pockets, as in the left photo, or longer, as in the right one. The fabric strips are as wide as you like (ours were aboutt 7 inches thick), with the length of each strip being 20 inches longer than the previous level (also depends on how ruffly you want your layers to look). Sew the short ends right sides together to make a tube and then gather and sew to the previous strip or to the denim, depending on where you are in your sewing.

This dress just took some very simple adding on to match the embroidery of the dress.

A too-short denim shirt became a cute dress by sewing the bottom of the shirt closed and then adding layers of gathered fabric.

So, if you find a cute dress or skirt that might just be too short for modesty, just add too it. A note to novice seamstresses, you'll want to cut off the thick hems from denim skirts before you try to gather and sew to it.

I hope you get to give this a try. It's lots of fun!

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2010-09-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

To a Friend

by Grace Stricker Dawson

You entered my life in a casual way,

And saw at a glance what I needed;

There were others who passed me or met me each day,

But never a one of them heeded.

Perhaps you were thinking of other folks more,

Or chance simply seemed to decree it;

I know there were many such chances before,

But the others - well, they didn't see it.

You said just the thing that I wished you would say,

And you made me believe that you meant it;

I held up my head in the old gallant way,

And resolved you should never repent it.

There are times when encouragement means such a lot,

And a word is enough to convey it;

There were others who could have, as easy as not -

But, just the same, they didn't say it.

There may have been someone who could have done more

To help me along, though I doubt it;

What I needed was cheering, and always before

They had let me plod onward without it.

You helped to refashion the dream of my heart,

And made me turn eagerly to it;

There were others who might have (I question that part) -

But, after all, they didn't do it!

Monday Musing - Loving the Saints

2010-09-27T17:13:00.000-04:00

We were blessed yesterday to have Rev. Nate Harlan as a guest preacher and he presented a different view of Revelation 2:1-7 than I've ever heard. He postulated that the "first love" that the Ephesians had lost was not necessarily their love for Christ, but their love for "all the saints" as they were commended to continue to have in Paul's epistle to them. He also asserted that, since the city of Ephesus no longer exists, their "lampstand" was removed and that was because they probably did not heed Christ's exhortation in Revelation.

Pastor Harlan then went on to encourage us to truly love the saints and for that love to be a light in the community and to extend to those outside the faith. He pointedly asked us how long it had been since we had had another family over to our home for dinner; how long had it been since we had shared from the heart over a shared dinner; how long since we'd looked our brother in the eye across a meal table; how long since we'd shared joys and sorrows with each other.

Now I must say that our church is abnormally good at sharing with each other. Every Tuesday evening our sweet pastor's wife hosts a ladies' tea for all the ladies 12 years old and up; our young men and older men get together usually once a week for breakfast and comraderie; we often have group gatherings/shared meals in our yards during the summer; we have fellowship meals after worship service twice a month; we often get together for work opportunities like reroofing someone's house or tiling someone's new bathroom floor or gathering firewood for the elders. But, there's always room for improvement, right, and so his sermon was right on the nose and of great value to each of us.

I especially was convicted because I had just been groaning to one of my daughters about how difficult it is to fit more people into our dining room during the winter when we don't have the option of socializing outside for most of the evening. The smallest of the whole families in our church have six children, the largest have ten. So I was unwilling to be inconvenienced for the sake of serving others a welcoming, hospitable dinner. And of course, like most Michiganders right now, we have to consider the financial question.

But Pastor Harlan didn't bring up either of those issues - as if they didn't really bear enough weight to excuse us from obeying the command reiterated in Romans 12:13. So now we're working on ideas of how we can more easily fit people in - maybe be less stuffy and go ahead and use TV trays in the living room. And we certainly don't have to serve a seven course dinner which would break the bank account. Warm, filling, hefty soups and breads are a delightful way to feel cozy together. Pastor would agree, I'm sure, as he praised our dinner of Corn Chowder and bread and salad which we got to serve him and his family after worship. And then the impromptu supper of roasted hotdogs with whomever could show up at our bonfire was a lot of fun, too.

Because God continues to work in us to make us more like him, I
Wannabegodly

Look at what I get to play with!

2010-09-22T08:12:00.000-04:00

You may remember that in July I made a signature quilt for The Guinea Pig as he was going off to college. I was blessed when the machine quilting lady offered to barter the work - she'd do the machine quilting (and she threw in the batting and backing) in exchange for me doing some handquilting that she'd had to do for a customer. She said the handquilting didn't have to be done till about October, so I was extra happy.

Since it's been a mighty hot summer for Michigan, I put off doing the quilting till it cooled off some. It's stifling to have a heavy quilt laying across your lap while you're working on it. But now I'm getting fully into the quilting of this queen sized beautiful Double Irish Chain.

The quilt was purchased at an estate sale, only partially quilted. So I got to make a template of the border quilting and am using that to finish quilting the maroon border area, which was about 1/3 done. I don't know if you can see it very well, but the quilting in the the large white areas looks somewhat Celtic which would go well with the Irish Chain. The previous quilter had put a lot of detail into her quilting, but her stitches were a little on the big and uneven side. It's fun to see how other people do things.

When I get this one done (which should be in just a few days), I can start quilting the pretty cat quilt that Princess put together. I'll show that later. Now it's time to get ready for a birthday tea for the "Grandma" of our church.

So many blessings make me

Wannabegodly

Words of Wisdom

2010-09-16T08:04:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure how wise these words were, but I just can't resist posting them. And since I am a "Woverine" (Michigander) I am allowed to get a chuckle out of this.

From the Davy Crockett Almanac:

The chaps from the Wolverine state, are the all-greediest, ugliest, an sourest characters on all Uncle Sam's twenty-six farms, they are, in thar natur, like their wolfish namesakes, always so etarnal hungry that they bite at the air, and hang their underlips, and show the harrow teeth of their mouths, as if they'd jump right into you, an swaller you hull, without salt. They are, in fact, half wolf, half man, and 'tother half saw mill. I met a wolverine one day in the forest, who had just swallowed a buck, an that war only enough to start his appetite, an make him al ravenous; he turned up his eyes at me, an opened his arthquake jaws as if he war going to chop off my head without axin. I chucked a lamb or two at him but it war no more use than a hoss-fly to a buzzard. "Mr. Wolverine," says I, "you stare at me with a reg'lar cannibal grin, but darn me, if you mustn't fight before you can bite; my name's Crockett, an I'm an airthquake, and if the critter didn't draw up his under-lip, and fall to eaten off the bark of a tree, while his eyes watered along with his mouth, then take my whiskers for wolf skins.

There; don't that just make yer day?!

Being Weary in Doing Good

2010-09-15T08:35:00.000-04:00

So many of us know the verse - "Let us not grow weary in doing good; in due season we shall reap." And there are so many ways we can apply it to our lives - do not grow weary in washing the dishes; in due season you will have a pretty and clean kitchen as well as clean dishes for your next delightful meal; do not grow weary in doing laundry for in due season you shall have neat, clean clothes in your closet; do not grow weary in teaching your children math for in due season you will have competent, educated offspring; do not grow weary in speaking kindly to your husband and children for in due season you will have good family relationships, etc., etc.

Lately I've been thinking more about the consistent, longevity aspect of not growing weary in well-doing. In fact, several of the ladies of our church and I have talked about it together, mostly bemoaning the fact that we haven't maintained with our younger children the training and teaching that we gave to our older children. For instance, our older children were taught almost perfect manners while the younger ones have been somewhat "left to themselves and bring their mothers to shame" in some areas of manners. The older ones were taught better in the area of neatness and order, while the youngers leave their clothes on the floor and don't pick up their toys from the living room floor very well. The older ones knew Bible stories frontwards and backwards while the little ones barely know David and Goliath. The younger ones, especially last-borns, are bossy with their friends and try to be with their older siblings, if allowed.

I'm sure there are a myriad of reasons for such negligence, but if we can find out why this has come about, maybe we can make some changes. Some of the reasons I've noticed include: mom's gotten lazy or just tired of training little ones and wants to move on with the older ones, mom's busy blogging, mom has more children to teach and watch, big sister just picks things up herself instead of gently teaching youngers, little ones are left in the care of siblings who might not care so much for training, the family has taken on more activities whether necessary or not, we kind of forget that the little ones haven't been trained in that area since we've already done so much training in that area, we often baby the last-born since it doesn't appear that God's going to give us any more babies and the list could probably go on!

It takes work and it takes not getting weary, but let me encourage ME and you to recommit ourselves to the training and teaching of ALL of our children in good things and to find stamina, longevity and consistency by remembering that "those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:30b-31 We may also have to reevaluate (again and again) what we 're doing with our time to see if it is the best use of that nonrenewable resource at this season in life. Just because our children are now older doesn't necessarily mean that we are not so needed as teacher/trainers.

Because His mercies are new every morning and thus there's hope for me, I
Wannabegodly

Easing into our studies

2010-09-11T08:36:00.000-04:00

This past week we eased into some of our studies again. More easing than I had hoped, but we found some other things that REALLY needed doing, so we did them. For instance, the goal of having each child do a "Book of the Centuries" (timeline-type notebook) is finally coming about, after years of thinking about doing it. So this last week I scrounged up notebooks (I buy them at yard sales and thrift stores), printed off pages from http://guesthollow.com/homeschool/printables/timeline/timeline.html. tweaked the pages a little and then set off with my copy of Usshur's Annals of the World to decide what the girls should have in their books. That's rather time-consuming, though interesting to a history nut. Peanut Pixie-face joined me for part of that and pasted drawings of Adam and Eve, Noah, the tower of Babel, etc. into her book till she was ready to move on to something more active. So that project has been laid out on a table in the dining room as well as at one end of the dining table.

The rest of the dining table has been covered in patterns and pattern pieces that were not properly put away, so they had to be sorted and put away. Precious got that job since she's the one most interested in sewing (and is partially to blame for the mess). That resulted in several things: the dining room table being unusable (it's a good thing we have TV trays for meals, if necessary), the patterns slowly getting organized, some patterns being deemed unnecessary, and inspiring Precious to get back into sewing. She now has a new blouse almost completed made from some of my overflowing fabric stash. When she'd need a break from the sorting, she'd go up to her machine and sew awhile. It also inspired her to do some of her mending.

Meanwhile, Sweetie made up some chicken soup and blueberry muffins to freeze for our lunches on "school" days so we don't have to take a real long lunch break. We still have about four more lunch ideas to get made.

We also got to help clean the building in which our church meets and had a good time socializing and gasping at the dirt and mold found therein. We start with our church fall schedule of having meals there every other Sunday and I'll feel much better knowing that it's cleaned up for that.

So, though we didn't get much more than math done in the academic area, we've not been wasting time, by any means. And, as we homeschoolers are fond of saying, "You're always learning, no matter what you're doing."

Blessed with zucchini?

2010-08-31T11:19:00.000-04:00

Are you, like most people, overly blessed with zucchini at this time of the year? We're blessed just right this year, so we've had enough to try this new recipe from my father-in-law. Those of my children who do not care for dishes from the squash family even like this one. And it's simple (my kind of cooking!). I nicknamed it "Cheesycchini" or you could just call it Cheesy Zucchini Casserole.

In a large bowl, mix: 1 1/3 c. flour
                                2 tsp. baking powder
                                salt and pepper
                                1/4 of a green pepper (opt.)
                                2 beaten eggs
                                1/2 c. oil
                                1 c. grated cheese

Add:                        4 c. grated, or diced, zucchini
                               1/2 onion, grated or chopped small
Mix well. Spread in 9x13 pan or large casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

We enjoyed this last evening with some venison steaks that friends had shared with us since ours ran out long ago.

Thankful for all our garden bounty, I
Wannabegodly

Blueberry Blessings + Recipe

2010-08-26T08:28:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned before, we've been blessed with FREE blueberries from an unsprayed patch that's rather large. My husband's coworker's grandfather used to raise blueberries as a hobby and after he passed on, the patch hasn't been used much. So, we've been given the go-ahead to pick and to take church friends with us. The only down side to it is that it is an hour's drive away. So we make sure we stay several hours to make the gas money worth it.

Besides the blessing of free healthy food, we've also had the blessings of fellowship with friends and we've been able to make up Blueberry Spice Jam and sell it through friends at the area farm markets. So Lilac Cottage Kitchen Creations is born.

Here's our recipe for Blueberry Spice Jam, taken from Stocking Up:

Bring to a boil: 8 cups of blenderized blueberries

3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice

1 cup honey

After it's boiling add: about 1 T. lemon juice

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ground cloves

Cook till thick, remembering that it thickens up a little as it cools. You have to stir often to keep it from burning on bottom. I'm experimenting with using the crockpot for this step today.

We can this in jelly jars (hot water bath for 10 minutes) and add the label (with requirements from the Michigan Department of Agriculture since we're not a certified kitchen) and sell them for $4.00 a jar.

Enjoying the blessings, I

Wannabegodly

50 Days to Love Your Lover

2010-08-25T18:28:00.000-04:00

This is going to just be a quick post to call for help and ideas because FREE blueberries are still calling, so I have to much time (more on that later).

Here's why I need ideas: Last Friday my darling husband turned 50 years old, and to celebrate I, somewhat belatedly, came up with the idea of doing a 50 Days to Love Your Lover. The plan is to do something special for him for 50 days, having started on Friday with going out for dinner and a movie. On Saturday, we had the cake and ice cream and gifts and then at Sunday breakfast I gave him a note that said I'd give him a backrub lasting at least 20 minutes. On Monday, I slipped him a little dark chocolate candy; on Tuesday I gave him a little gift I'd found at a yard sale. Tonight I plan to slip this silly moustache cup in at his place at the table. It was a yard sale find, too, with nothing on it so I wrote his nickname on it.

The little sticker is just an address label I printed up that says "50 Days to Love Your Lover" which I've been putting on all the little gifts or notes.

Tomorrow's plan is to give him a game (also a yard sale find) and then Friday evening we've invited over a group of men and young men from church to have a men's game night with sloppy joes, but don't tell him because it's a surprise. He doesn't usually read this, so I think I'm safe. :) I also have plans like meeting in the back yard for some quiet time together, taking him out for a Coke by the river, "Something About You for Which I'm Thankful" notes in his lunch and more yard sale find gifts, I hope. So, any ideas you can send my way would be wonderful!

Because I'm thankful to have a loving, faithful husband, I

Wannabegodly

Yard Sale Find!

2010-08-19T07:23:00.000-04:00

I have got to show you my find! It was at a yard sale that was less than pristine, but we scrounged through it anyhow, knowing that we had hand sanitizer in the car. I saw a table topped, just a quilt top, not quilted and was admiring it, wondering if I wanted to remove all the knick-knacks that were covering it when the woman said she had another like it. Folded on a chair was a whole quilt top that's about queen size. And it's the Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern, one of my favorites! And it's hand-pieced!

She was asking $20.00 for it and I easily talked her down to $15.00! I'm rather excited about that. It smelled awfully of cigarette smoke and mustiness, so I washed it with Shaklee's Basic G and now it smells rather nice.

It's rather interesting in that it looks like someone tried to finish it later with a sewing machine, adding some more to the side which doesn't follow the pattern exactly. So, I may take that part out and just make it a little narrower, using those blocks for something else.

Now I have to decide what I'm going to do with it. Should I keep it? (Would love to, but sure could use any money earned from it.) Should I hand quilt it and sell it in an still-to-be-set-up Etsy store? Should I sell it as is on ebay or Etsy? I hope to take it to quilt guild meeting since there's a lady there who is an expert on dating fabrics and she might be able to tell me it's age and value.

Right now, though, I have to get off to pick more FREE blueberries.

Because of His many blessings, I

Wannabegodly

Quilt project finished and revealed

2010-08-05T20:03:00.000-04:00

I can finally post about a special project I've had over this summer since it has been gifted to my son who might have read about it on here.

We kind of have a tradition in our church of giving a signed quilt to people who are moving away so they can be reminded of our love for them even while they are away. So, since our son The Guinea Pig is off to college tomorrow, I made sure that he got one also. Since I'm the chief quiltmaker in church, I get to make sure that's done. So, here it is.

We unveiled it at our church "send-off" Sunday evening and he was very thankful for it. I was so blessed that he loved it and I was tickled that it got all done before he got home. So it's been in hiding till Sunday.

My local quilter from Quilt Something quilted it up quickly for me in exchange for some hand-quilting that she needed done, so I was very thankful for that chance to barter. (And I don't have to get my part done till October, which is nice because it's kinda hot for having a quilt across my lap for quilting.)

I'm also thankful because the green fabric came from the freebie table at our quilt guild meeting. There was also some maroon fabric, but it turned out to not be enough, but was useful in getting my mind to thinking of those colors together. So I went searching at another local quilt shop (we're much blessed around here) and found some Thimbleberries fabric on 50% sale! I am thanking the Lord for the little, yet big ways in which He blesses us.

The send-off party was a nice time of fellowship, food, volleyball, tetherball, water fights and words of wisdom from the men and young men of the church.

It's good to have a church like Christ the King Church of Ferry, Michigan, which supports and helps our efforts in raising our children for the Lord, rather than us having to "unteach" our children after church. Because of our many blessings, I

Wannabegodly

The Wanderer Returns

2010-07-24T17:04:00.000-04:00

Happy day at our house yesterday! The Guinea Pig surprised most everybody by cruising up the driveway at about noon to be bombarded by hugs and excitement. He had gotten off night shift at 6:00 a.m., packed up his car and started driving home because he was "too wired" to sleep. Twenty hours and only four hours of sleep later, he got here.

So we celebrated with watermelon and root beer floats and one of his favorite lunches - ravioli (frozen, I'm not much of a cook) and pesto and lemon butter garlic sauce and marinara sauce. A game of volleyball (with an actual occasional volley) ensued and then he was off to take a nap. In the evening we had to watch the movie of the roughnecks saving the world again. And I cried again. :) And I was so thankful that my roughneck son was home safe and sound for two weeks till he's off to college at New Saint Andrews College.

On a different note, http://www.raisinghomemakers.com/ is doing an intriguing giveaway of the book More Than a Hopechest by Amber Moeller. I'm entering to hopefully see what this interesting-looking book is about. With five young ladies around here and a young man who also has dreams of future spouse and family, I hope this book will help us in our pursuit of homemaking skills and beauty.

Counting my blessing, I
Wannabegodly

Personal devotion workboxes

2010-07-13T13:29:00.000-04:00

As part of the conversion to workboxes to organize our studies, yesterday I set up little carrier containers for each of our personal devotions, quiet times or whatever you prefer to call your Bible reading and prayer time.

I found the little carriers at Family Dollar for $1 each. With each person's name on their carrier as well as stickers if they so choose, each one has a nice sized section for a small Bible and notecards (often the Lord gives me an idea of someone who needs an encouraging note), as well as a small section for a prayer reminder card or notebook or color-coded cards (I'm leaving that decision up to each girl).

The medium-sized section is for Scripture memory cards made by typing them up in two columns, printing on colored cardstock and cheaply "laminated" with clear Contact paper. I looked all over Walmart for rings for the memory cards, but ended up getting those clip things that campers and rock-climbers use. They were $1.88 for two in the camping gear. I was afraid that they'd be a little fat for my hole punch, but they are just right! Roo decided to decorate her cards with some stickers.

With these nifty little helps, I hope we'll be more faithful in our pursuit of godliness. During these glorious summer mornings, the girls enjoyed having their devotions outside this morning.

Trying to grow in Christ and orderliness, I

Wannabegodly

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream Bucket Covers

2010-07-09T10:08:00.000-04:00

As I commented on http://www.raisinghomemakers.com/ , I'm now posting instructions for a simple ice cream bucket cover. These are made for the buckets that are 1 gallon plus 1 quart size. Here's a photo of my yo-yo making bucket.

To make the cover, I cut a paper pattern circle that is 23.5 inches in diameter. The simple way to do that is to tie string to a pencil, measure the string at 11.75 inches. Tack or hold the end of the string in the center of your piece of paper and, holding the pencil vertically straight and keeping the string taut, draw a circle. Actually, I only drew half a circle, since I planned to cut the fabric on the fold.

Two inches from the center edges, mark your pattern for 1/2 inch buttonholes for the handles to fit through.

Pin the pattern to your fabric and cut (on the fold, in my case). Mark where you'll put your buttonholes.

Sew and cut your button holes.

Sew a 1/2 inch hem/casing all the way around, leaving an opening of about 1 inch to insert draw string. Don't worry if this hem/casing is not pretty or is crumpled because it's going to be gathered and crumpled anyhow and it's awfully hard to make a circular hem.

Cut 30 inches of yard or string and, using a safety pin, thread it through your hem/casing.

Position the bucket in the center of the circle, draw the fabric up over the bucket and put the handles through the buttonholes reattaching them to the bucket.

Draw the string tightly over the top of the bucket. It will overlap the edge of the bucket about an inch. Tie in a knot with a bow also, if you like. Trim off extra string. Arrange gathers evenly and viola! a pretty bucket!

Because making my home organized and beautiful is imitating the Creator, I

Wannabegodly

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2010-07-07T14:23:00.000-04:00

"Work hard and have fun" (implying that the hard work is the fun) comes from my dear father-in-law, Rex Southwell. He has often sent various of us off to our work with this saying and we've passed it along to our children.

We were blessed to have a great family reunion with him this past weekend. Our nephew gave a "talk" on how much Dad has passed on to all of us that we now pass on to our children. He went through the various characteristics found in 2 Peter 1:5-8 and told about how he saw those things worked out in and through Dad's life. Then others stood and told about what a blessing Dad has been to them. I was happy that they shared those things now when Dad could hear them instead of waiting till he will no longer hear them. You can read the story of his parents' lives and salvation in Tall Trees, Tall People, available at Amazon.

It was a good time of fellowship, goofiness, renewing relationships and making new ones as well as counting our many blessing, not the least of which is the blessing of many children being raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

With such an undeserved godly heritage on both sides of the family, I

Wannabegodly

Homemaking - Cowgirl Style!

2010-07-01T20:57:00.000-04:00

When most people think of homemakers, especially of the homeschooling variety, I don't think they think of cowgirls. But that's what we got to be today! It kind of reminded me of the Scripture that says "all we like sheep have gone astray" only we had cattle instead of sheep. I'm told that sheep are even more difficult to herd and bring back into the fence/fold.
Since our fence was lengthened to include more of the pasture, the electricity has been rather weak and the fence hardly gives us a poke, much less give any to big, hairy cattle. So, this morning they took off across the neighbor's hayfield, down to the creek on the other side. Never mind that they had plenty of water in their stock tank and that they had plenty of green grass. Thankfully the neighbors field had recently been mowed and baled, so we didn't ruin any of their hay.
After we got them out of their field and chased them out of our swamp also, we scared them back into the pasture and went off to finish breakfast. It wasn't long till we discovered they were out again. We found them down at another neighbor's weekend trailer, making hoofprints in their very wet, soft yard. Using the minivan helped herd them back to our hedgerow where they happily munched on the tall grass till Lovey came home midday to help solve the problem by making changes to the fencing.

Since there are six beasties and they don't always stick together, although mostly they did, and they had really wandered quite a way, it took us quite awhile to get them back and we really got our exercise running ahead of them to head them in the right direction! So we're skinny now.

As I was giving thanks that they hadn't gotten into our garden, The Peanut Pixie-face informed me that it was because she had stood guard by it and "looked intimidating."

The Shaping of a Christian Family - Elisabeth Elliot

2010-06-27T22:20:00.000-04:00

Do you ever get the feeling that you have grown "weary in well-doing"? That you have not continued to put forth the efforts you used to in such things as ordering your home, or training your children in courtesy or self-discipline? That your own self-discipline and priorities have been laid aside?

Well, I was having that feeling for awhile and beginning to make progress in the right direction again when (maybe because I realized I needed it again) I decided to reread The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot. What an exemplary family! Now, I know they weren't perfect and I know some of the story beyond the family history which Mrs. Elliot Gren tells, but reading of the discipline and order and love for God's Word and each other that the parents instilled was very inspirational again to me. I'll share a little of it to inspire you to click on the Amazon link and get a copy (which I hope to do for each of my children).

Love means sacrifice. Each member of the family, in one way or another, has to learn to give in, give up, and give over, for the sake of the rest. When the family is planning how to spend a Saturday afternoon it is unlikeliy the vote will always be a unanimous one. Several will have to give in, and it is nice if they do so graciously. Love is always gracious. When somebody needs help with something, somebody else must give up what he want to do in order to help. Somebody is having a specially hard experience. Others must learn how to put themselves in his place, how to comfort and sympathize. Doing the little thing nobody thinks are fun but which have to be done by somebody - opportunities for self-giving and sacrifice, all of them.

Another paragraph that stands out to me:

The ordering of a peaceful home is not possible without the application of eternal principles. It is, after all, mostly little, common things that make up our lives. This is the raw material for the spiritual life. If we despise small things, regard normal household duties as burdens, routines as boring, rules too confining, we will never learn, nor can we teach our children, to live a life of holy harmony. This takes faithfulness in the troublesome details first of all, learning to do them well that we may make of them an offering to the Lord, for it is His work, after all, given to us. It is our daily bread for which we should learn to be thankful. Such faithfulness is the groundwork for all God may ever ask us to do.

She also quotes from Warlock of Glenwarlock something which gives pause as I reach the "past the flower of my youth" age:

She suffered from rhumatism, which she described as a 'sorrow in her bones.' But she never lost her patience and so got the good of a trouble which would seem specially sent as the concluding discipline of old people for this world, that they may start well in the next.

There is no escaping the mill that grinds slowly and grinds small, and those who refuse to be living stones in the living temple must be ground into mortar for it.

I'm thankful for good examples, encouraging words and the Holy Spirit who continues to direct and prod and illuminate and who is the God of the Second Chance, as Larnelle Harris sang. And so I
Wannabegodly

Workboxing - the beginning

2010-06-22T13:02:00.001-04:00

I haven't posted in awhile because it's been very busy in our neck of the woods. I've spent quite a bit of time researching and finally beginning to implement some of the ideas I've found on "workboxes" - a great way to organize and use the education materials that we accumulate but don't always get to. So last week I worked on planning out how this great idea would best work in our home. We'll give it a trial run with the minimal amount of studying we do over the summer and hopefully will have the kinks worked out by fall.

Here's the "rough draft" set-up in progress. The Peanut Pixie Face and Roo will be using the cereal boxes (which I plan to cover in fabric - I love fabric!- after I see if it's going to work) and the three older girls will be using the portable file boxes since they like to carry their work up to their bedrooms.

Some of the ideas of things to put in their boxes/files include their regular workbooks like math and spelling as well as puzzles, file folder games, flashcards, piano and other instrument books, surprises like a piece of chocolate (always a hit in a house of mostly girls!), 3x5 cards that give them instructions for something out of the ordinary, ie. baking, going on a field trip, surprise visit from their granny (hint, hint), etc.

I'll post more on this as we get it going and show more of our ideas to go in the boxes.

The planning is simplified by a handy planning sheet shared by http://www.heartofwisdom.com/ . She's got a lot of information and ideas there as do http://www.sunflowerschoolhouse.com/ and http://www.ideas4theworkbox.blogspot.com/ . Of course, the originator and finetuner of the whole system is Sue Patrick in her book Workbox System User's Guide.

The advantages of workboxes is that everything is laid out and found ahead of time so that during "schooltime" we're not running here and there for our supplies. It also gives the children an idea of what still needs to be accomplished till they're free to do other things. So, we'll start out with our "together" activities like Bible and Discipleship reading, housekeeping chores, unit studies and then turn everybody loose with their workboxes. I'm hoping and praying that this system will be a good tool to help us be more orderly.

Because I'm responsible to train in discipline and godliness, I

Wannabegodly

Teaching homemaking

2010-06-10T20:40:00.000-04:00

Is it hard to teach our daughters to be homemakers?

Sometimes yes. If I am neglectful of my own duties and am not a good example, than it's hard for them to catch on. If I don't show joy in serving Jesus within my own calling, they catch the attitude that homemaking is drudgery. If I get impatient with their sloppiness, they aren't encouraged to be clean and neat. All of this makes my own job of teaching them much harder. In a sense, I can be my own worst enemy.

Sometimes no. Today was a wonderful day of teaching homemaking by fun and example. I was really pleasantly surprised at how many times the girls said they were so happy, or they were having such a good day, or they were "ecstatic". What were we doing that was so fun?

Picking strawberries! 86 quarts of them! (That was the easy part. Processing them was not so easy.) We made 8 jars of jam, 4 cups of freezer jam, 1 pie and froze about 40 quarts so far. Now we're just too bushed to keep on, so we plan to do some more freezing tomorrow.

I think next time we won't do so much in one day, but it only took us about one and a half hours to pick all those, so we just kept at it!

So, I'm thankful for the good attitudes, the hearts to work and the bounty of sweet nutritious strawberries!

Wannabegodly

Raising Homemakers

2010-06-07T07:52:00.000-04:00

Two blogs on one day! I just have to tell you about a new website which is doing a giveaway. Go check out Raising Homemakers for some encouragement in that area. They're currently giving away the DVD The Return of the Daughters, which is about young single ladies ministering from home under the protection and blessing of their fathers till they move to the protection and blessing of their husbands. The link is http://www.raisinghomemakers.com/. Enjoy!

Your actions speak louder than words.

2010-06-07T07:47:00.000-04:00

These words of wisdom from Elisabeth Elliot have been smacking me in the face again for a few days, so I'll share them with you and let you get smacked, too. :)

The way you keep your house, the way you organize your time, the care you take in your personal appearance, the things you spend your money on all speak loudly about what you believe. 'The beauty of Thy peace' shines forth in an ordered life. A disordered life speaks loudly of disorder in the soul. - from Let Me Be a Woman

There's always room for improvement, because I
Wannabegodly

Tea With a Twist book review

2010-06-04T08:15:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking that Fridays will be book review day wherein I post about a book we've recently enjoyed. You can scroll down to the Amazon link-up at the bottom of this page to go directly there if any of these books interest you. I love to read, especially family read-alouds, so I have lots of fun, beautiful, inspiring books to recommend.

The first will be this beauty - Tea With a Twist by Lisa Boalt Richardson.

(I'm sorry for the blurry picture, but we're having camera issues over here.)

This book is such a beautiful book and has lots of interesting ideas and photos of those ideas. Just the introduction has directions for making both hot and iced tea as well as a recipe for basic sweet scones. I like her stress-free approach to having a fun time with your guests. "Presentation is not always everything. If you don't have all the accessories to make it look smashing, have a tea party anyway. Your friends will love getting together."

The next chapters are ideas for eight different tea parties. They include Flower Power Tea, Bubble Tea, Tropical Tea, Mexican Fiesta, Southern Tailgate, All About Chocolate and Indian Chai High Tea. Not only does she give recipes, but she also includes tea information and history as well as decorating ideas. The photography alone is tantalizing eye candy.

You'll definitely want to enjoy this book and display it on your coffee table.

Daily Duties, Divine Order

2010-06-01T08:54:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago, I read the following quote on http://www.generationcedar.com/ and it made such an impression that I printed it up and hung it in our "thinking room" (the bathroom) where we all get to meditate on it periodically. I post it here for your meditation also.

"It is wholly impossible to live according to Divine order, and to make a proper application of heavenly principles, as long as the necessary duties which each day brings seem only like a burden grievous to be borne. Not till we are ready to throw our very life's love into the troublesome little things can we be really faithful in that which is least and faithful also in much. Every day that dawns brings something to do, which can never be done as well again. We should, therefore, try to do it ungrudgingly and cheerfully. It is the Lord's own work, which He has given us as surely as He gives us daily bread. We should thank Him for it with all our hearts, as much as for any other gift. It was designed to be our life, our happiness. Instead of shirking it or hurrying over it, we should put our whole heart and soul into it." by James Reed

I'm going to guess that there are some aspects of everyone's daily duties which are not enjoyed as much as others, or even downright despised. That's where we each need to "throw our very life's love into the troublesome little things" so we can number our days aright and present to God a heart of wisdom.

Lord, help me in this because I
Wannabegodly

Star Wars creature? and cute chicks

2010-05-21T08:27:00.000-04:00

I thought you'd like a peek at the future food we have around here now. This one is a Scottish Highland steer. Isn't he a funny looking thing? But don't mess with him! When he heard that his name is Tinkerbell, he jumped fence and led a merry chase, aimed particularly at the one who named him - The Guinea Pig (I just changed firstborn's nickname from "Staples" to "The Guinea Pig").

The other future food, other than the garden, are much cuter to look at. As is the little girl holding one.

So, we're getting set for a busy summer. I'll have to show you the garden another time.

Enjoying the blessings, I

Wannabegodly

Therapy

2010-05-14T22:43:00.000-04:00

When ones firstborn leaves home to go work as a roughneck in the oilfields and then on to college in the far west, what does one do?

Pray lots, answer the phone quickly, thank God for the 20 years together, love on the other five, feel the comfort of the "huggy's" hugs and...

sew...

...and sew (using Bonnie Hunter's Leaders/enders idea)...

...and paint and redecorate bedrooms...

(this is in actuality more purple than it looks here)

...and love on kittens (we have a total of four).

(sorry it's blurry)

So we're adjusting and trusting and life goes on and I continue to

Wannabegodly

Dark day at our house

2010-05-08T10:10:00.000-04:00

Today marks an end and a beginning in our family life. It's an end to all eight of us being a whole family and a beginning of Staples' life on his own for the most part. He's off to Louisiana as of 8:10a.m., planning to sleep in his car tonight somewhere around Memphis and roll into Lafayette, LA tomorrow night to be ready for roughneck training on Monday.

Many tears ongoing throughout this morning, but we're proud of his development and determination to earn his way through college. And we know he is in the best hands possible - those of his loving Savior, Lord and Father. And he's getting lots of fodder for upcoming books and stories!

Because God cares for each of us, I
Wannabegodly

Got to see Bonnie Hunter!

2010-05-06T12:49:00.003-04:00

Great Family Day at the Tigers' Game!

2010-05-02T12:59:00.004-04:00

Big changes are happening in our family these days, so a family birthday celebration at the Detroit Tigers game was a great time together. We took off early Saturday morning, had nutmeg breakfast rolls (they were supposed to be cinnamon breakfast rolls, but Sweetie got mixed up)in the car and had a relatively uneventful four-hour trip to Detroit with Staples sitting on the floor or half on one of the middle bucket seats since we had to fit eight of us into a seven-seater minivan. Such a gentleman! The game was perfect - uneventful most of the time, with a few errors and two runs each till the ninth inning when the Tigers got a walk-off homerun and we got to enjoy the homerun fountains spewing up beyond the outfield. The highight for most of the family was getting to do The Wave quite a few times and succeeding in getting it to go clear 'round the stadium four complete times. Toward the end of the game, when we would clap for a nice out or a strike-out The Peanut would ask if the game was over and if we had won. Guess it got a little long for her. Then Pizza Hut and a quick run into Meijer made our trip home not seem soooo long.

So, the big change - our family of eight will basically become a family of seven as Staples heads off to Louisiana next Saturday to begin his summer employment as an oilfield roughneck to earn college money for this fall. Yes, we've heard all about the offshore rig that blew up and, being an "oilfield" trash family, we've heard why it happened, the possibility of the lost men having survived, how they're going to do the clean-up, etc., etc. Lord willing, he'll be back in August to pack up, visit and say good-bye before heading off to New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, ID, whereupon he'll become "The Wizard of ID".

We're thankful for these opportunities and because of God's many blessings and care, I
Wannabegodly

Girls' Day Out

2010-04-16T17:45:00.008-04:00

What a fun day the girls and I had yesterday. I guess we were celebrating that the taxes were all done, though not even by us. It started out with a "field trip" to a nearby crisis pregancy center/women's center. After an informative talk on how they help teach new moms to care for their babies as well as provide clothing and food for them and counseling, we were able to present some hats, booties, a quilt and diaper bag that our family had made as well as things that the other families had made, too. We discovered ways that we can volunteer and help out, too.

Then we got a pleasant surprise in finding out that our friends had packed a picnic lunch, too, so we all trekked on down to a park by the river and enjoyed the first picnic of the season (and nobody fell into the river!) Then it was off to the thrift store where we found some cute dresses for the 5-year-old Peanut as well as a darling snowman teapot with creamer and sugar bowl attached. Then came the part we'd been waiting forever for good weather to do - explore the old downtown shops. There's an interesting eclectic bookstore, in which we found a Jan Brett book as well as an experiment (I'll have to tell you if it's worth the time to read). We explored a antique store in which 14-year-old Precious found a teapot bedecked with roses that she loved. It was on sale for only about $8.00, so I bought it for her. A paint-your-own pottery store was tempting, but I might save that for a summer fun trip or take them to an actual ceramic shop where they can start with greenware. I think several of them thought the second antique shop was the highlight of the day as they had a blast trying on all the antique hats in the place.

To close off the day, we stopped at a favorite greenhouse/nursery and discovered that not only was the owner a bastion of plant information, but he's also interested in some other interests of our family, so we had a lively and interesting discussion, bought some raspberry bushes, rhubarb plant and some lettuce seeds & strawberry starts to get a jump on our spring planting. Now we have to get the garden beds all ready for planting.

Because of so many blessings, I

Wannabegodly

First post celebrates life in a living Savior!

2010-04-03T15:08:00.004-04:00

If I could find our Resurrection celebration wall-hanging I'd show you a picture of it, but since it's in the "still waiting to be sorted" piles in the basement, I can't. Instead, I'll describe some of it to you in hopes that you might be inspired to do something like it. We used 12 eight to nine inch squares of sheet fabric to make the 12 blocks that correspond with our "Easter advent eggs." So as we open each egg on the 11 days preceding Resurrection day and read the corresponding Scripture, we also admire the block painted by each of the children. For instance, one day we read about Jesus being annointed with oil by Mary, so out from the egg comes a tiny doll's vial to remind us of the oil of spikenard that Mary poured on Jesus' feet. We also notice the painting one of the children did a few years ago on the fabric with regular tole paints of the bottle of oil. Other topics/paintings include the triumphal entry, fruitful grain, footwashing, thirty pieces of silver, the crucifixion and burial, and, of course, the celebration of the empty tomb and His resurrection.

I must confess to being kind of laxidazical (is that how you spell that old word?) in getting into the whole spirit of Easter/Resurrection this year and I'm ashamed of myself. After all, if it weren't for the resurrection, "we of all men are most to be pitied." It should probably be more celebrated even than Christ's birth. So, I was greatly encouraged and inspired when a sister from church shared what she'd read of Nancy Wilson's blog "feminagirls.com" (or something like that) about how they were preparing to celebrate the resurection and I got going a little better. So, the menu perked up some and after heading to the grocery store, I've got quite the goodie list worked up for the afternoon and evening.

You see, our church body (all seven families of us) join in a fast on Saturday, actually beginning just after we partake of the Lord's Supper during our Good Friday evening worship service. Then we gather early on Sunday morning (7:30) for a big breakfast of eggs and pancakes prepared by our two elders, supplemented with cinnamon rolls, breads, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, fruit, etc. supplied by the rest of us. Then after the celebration of worship and again feasting with our risen Savior around the communion table, we will have a big dinner at home, having invited my dear aunt who lives nearby, but worships at a different church. Having fasted on Saturday, we're all very eager for the feasting on Sunday. Isn't that how it should be to remind us of the emptiness that the disciples felt only to be again filled by realizing that Jesus was alive and that the hope of the resurrection had just been fulfilled!

Because of the Resurrection, I wannabegodly!