Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Thankful...

Glimpses of some of the things I am thankful for this week in our home...


This little truck driver...
Music in our home played by my children....
....music that gives glory to our Lord and Savior....
...music that sounds beautiful to the ear!


These little hands that joyfully help.....

Brother and sister as close friends!....
brother and brother playing board games....
Letters for my children, from their pen pals in Kenya....


Starting out... #1-8

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Old Paths Poem



I liked the old paths, when
Moms were at home.
Dads were at work.
Brothers went into the army.
And sisters got married
BEFORE having children!

Crime did not pay;
Hard work did;
And people knew the difference.

Moms could cook;
Dads would work;
Children would behave.

Husbands were loving;
Wives were supportive;
And children were polite.

Women wore the jewelry;
And Men wore the pants.
Women looked like ladies;
Men looked like gentlemen;
A
nd children looked decent.

People loved the truth,
And
hated a lie;
They came to church to get IN,
Not to get OUT!

Hymns sounded Godly;
Sermons sounded helpful;
Rejoicing sounded nor
mal;
And crying sounded sincere.

Cursing was wicked;
Drugs were for illness;
And divorce was unthinkable.
The flag was honored;
America was beautiful;
And God
was welcome!

We read the Bible in public;
Prayed in school;
And
preached from house to house

To be called an American was worth dying for;
To be called a Christian was worth living for;
To be called a traitor was a shame!

Preachers preached because they had a message;
And Christians rejoiced because they had the VICTORY!
Preachers preached from the Bible;
Singers sang from the heart;
And sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!

A new birth meant a new life;
Salvation meant a
changed life;
Following Christ led to eternal life.


Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God;
Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord;
Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus;
And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!

Laws were based on the Bible;
Homes read the Bible;
And churches taught the Bible.

God was worshiped;
Christ was exalted;And the Holy Spirit was respected.

Church was where you found Christians
on the Lord's day, rather than in the garden,
on the creek bank, on the golf course,
Or being entertained somewhere els
e.
I still like the old paths the best!
~Author Unknown

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Little Boy Loved

Each of these dots could represent a million things I love about that boy!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Happy As The Day


I am enjoying a wonderful book, called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I am sure many of you can say the same. This book is...well, it is just such a beautiful reminder that we are to be thankful in all things. I am thankful for Ann and the eloquent way she brings life to the mundane things of life. We are reading the book aloud in the evenings as a whole family. It has been a blessing. The book is a new treasure to me.
It just so happens that I picked up a book from our bookshelf this week too and this book is an old treasure. It is a very old tresure. It is from 1848. I have had a rekindled love of vintage things recently and this book made me smile. It is entitled Book That Will Suit You.


The messages inside are so wonderful. I hope to share some with you. I started writing notes in my journal and found there was great value in so-o much of the text, I might as well write out the entire passages. :)

The section I want to share here is from a chapter called:
Happy As The Day
" In Thy name shall they rejoice all day."- Psalms 89:16
"The believer has all the elements of misery in his nature, and he is often surrounded by the most trying circumstances; yet he has a source of joy, which is sufficient to enable him to rejoice all the day long. He may be happy every day, and all the day. He should rejoice but not as the world does in health, wealth,wisdom, skill, strength, station, or worldly prospects; but in the name of God.
The name of God assures us of pardon, full, free and immutable; a daily pardon, a pardon of all sin, for a part of His name is "forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin." All manner of sin is forgiven. God pardons daily the sins of the heart, the sins of the tongue, the sins of the life; may we not well rejoice all the day in the name of our God, which forbids fear, generates confidence, and promises pardon.
For as unworthy as we are, we are accepted in "the Beloved".
The consistent Christian rejoices in God's name as containing all he needs, and as preventing all he fears. He rejoices in it in private and in public; in prosperity and in trial. His joy is holy and humble; it is abiding and sweet. Reader, a believer has always cause for joy, and the cause of his joy is always the same; and it is his duty as well as his privilege to rejoice in the name of God. The unhappiness of Christians often arises from their ignorance of God's name, or from the working of unbelief, which leads them to fancy that it will not be illustrated in their experience. Believer, do you know God's name? If so, rejoice in it, spread the knowledge of it, and let all see that it is the source of your sweet joy!"

This Moment: Sister Love



{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

Friday, February 18, 2011

A Bunch of crafty things!

We love creative adventures in our house- especially us girls. Recently the creative juices have been flowing and we enjoy our relaxation time doing/making things.

Here is my (middle) daughter's second knitted hat. This one only took her 4 days and is a baby gift. She is certainly enjoying her new found ability to knit! :)


I started making fabric flowers. We may use some of these to embellish her knitted creations, but I turned a few into barrettes for my girls since large flowers in the hair are back in fashion. That's a trend I think is lovely!

Here is a floral one in my youngest daughter's hair. She is growing her "bangs" out so these will come in quite handy!

...and here my oldest is also wearing one. This one is recycled from one of her dad's old dress shirts that he thought was starting to look too worn out!
My oldest has also been helping me cover hangers. I started and enlisted her help as we hope to give gifts of 10 or twelve hanger sets next Christmas. The hangers are so nice and practical. THey make your closet look nice but also help your garments stay on the hanger - instead of slipping off and ending up on the floor. (ugh!) I will try to post how to make these later on!


Then if you are one of the many people out there reading and enjoying and being so inspired by this great book....

I thought you might like this link I found. They are inspirational quotes by Ann. It's a free printable. I printed them, laminated and cut them out and then tied each set of four with a ribbon. They make a nice small gift!

Here is where you can find these nice cards!!
Enjoy!


Monday, February 14, 2011

First Knitted baby Hat

My (middle) daughter started knitting this year. She is just learning as she goes and she even has me trying some of the easier things.

She started with scarves (I posted here of her first) and then she made wash cloths.
She completed her first baby hat with week and it is going HERE to the SAVE THE CHILDREN Federation to help save a newborn's life!