praise Him all you people

Despite what is going on in our nation and the world His people will continue to worship Him.

"One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts." Psalm 145:4

 I thought you might be lifted up and encouraged by this video made this fall by the Worship Collective at the college Charlotte attends. She is the violinist who you see at the beginning...you glimpse her wedding ring :).

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise
Thou mine inheritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only first in my heart
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art

High King of heaven, my victory won
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's sun
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all

the marvel of a grape harvest

I rounded the corner into the kitchen bright and early, but not too early as breakfast had been eaten and a load of clothes were already washing. That bucket of grapes was haunting me and the little fruit flies were beginning their flight, the aroma was too sweet even for them to resist.

It was a grape jelly making day.

I wish you were here to taste its sweet fruitiness on a buttermilk biscuit! 

I am also canning some of the juice from the five pounds of grapes I was given. I discovered how simple it was. 

 Basically, after making the juice from the grapes you heavily strain it. The juice is then heated to 190 degrees and poured into the canning jars to process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes. 

 I used purple Muscadine grapes. No extra sugar needed.

after dinner leisure reading

 Through the years I have read a wealth of books aloud to my children. Excellent literature read immediately after lunch and bedside before the lights were turned off when it was time to sleep. Then there were the evenings when we would read after dinner in the living room including my husband for family read alongs. I especially remembered the Little Britches books we read through with such anticipation every evening.

Missionary stories were also a favorite during family read alongs and famous Christian biographies had a place  to be read on Sundays at the table after eating Sunday dinner.

My husband and are are alone now and  last week we began  revisiting this pleasant leisure immediately after dinner clean-up. 

Darkness falls earlier now, but being outside on the porch is pleasing so with the  overhead twinkly lights and a lamp on a wicker table by my side we read several chapters a night. This book was written in 1947 by Mrs. Gordon H. Smith, an autobiography of her family's return to Indo-China  after WWII. We are learning about this country and its history too, Indo-China was the name for Vietnam then. I  found it interesting how the authoress used her husband's name. I like it.

home again

• Maybe that’s the best part of going away for a vacation
•  — coming home again.”             
• ~Madeleine L’Engle
• I went away from home for a few days. This time it was to the shore, or beach as we call it here in the south. This time it was with six precious friends, sisters in the Lord as we think of ourselves. 
• 
• Our days began early at sunrise.
• And would end beyond sunset.

 In between there was much talking and eating and walking the beach. Fun times to fellowship and make memories being together. We had quite a few other things we considered doing, some of those things we did actually do and others things we let simply slip away.

Some stayed the entire week while others, like me, left after a few days. 

I find the veracious quote above to border all of my comings and my goings, whatever my season of life.

interested in podcasts?

 On this last day of September I fervently desired to share several podcasts I enjoy listening to on a regular basis.  Some might be on a youtube platform, yet for the most part overall they are for listening to for enjoyment, for gaining insights and for being encouraged. I especially appreciate these godly women for the good content they bring forth with the added bonus of allowing me the opportunity to listen while I go about fulfilling my homemaking role in the home.

These are not listed in any manner of preferential order. 

Home Living

A Word Fitly Spoken

The Art of Home

Tea Time Tuesday

I will be out of town for most of the week and my computer will not travel with me. I look forward to returning and catching up with you all.

the grape harvest

"We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, if it is only picking grapes and sorting laundry."

E.B.White

 

Our friend, the clock maker,  has a vineyard and today was the first day of the grape harvest. As I walked down the rows of grapevines that were heavy with ripe grapes, I inhaled the deliciously sweet and fruity smell of those grapes

Because of the damp and somewhat drizzly morning, I exited the vineyard rather wet, but my feet were more tired from my rubber boots than anything. I would walk to empty my little blue bucket into the larger containers that sat on the gator in the middle of the rows of vines. A few yellow jackets would fly around me, but other than that it was a source of joy to be there picking grapes.

 

Then I came home to sort the laundry I had begun earlier in the morning.

September tapestry

The work of Edmund Blair Leighton was brought to my attention once again and what a pleasure it is to observe his beautiful artwork. He was an English painter of the mid-to-late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This one is called September.

Enjoy! 

something lovely to look at, something lovely to listen to

"One can always find something lovely to look at or listen to."

                                                                   ~L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Windy Poplars

The sedum in the back garden was falling over with the weight of its heavily producing blooms. What a happy plant sedum is with its many clusters of little star-shaped flowers! I thought the color was perfectly contrasted against the 

cherry- wooded dining room table.

I found a podcast I wanted to share. I have enjoyed listening to this weekly podcast while I go about my homemaking duties,

The Art of Home.

helping with Miss Marion

This photo was taken back in the early spring.

Caregiving an elderly family member could possibly become a part of your life, and many times it comes unexpectedly.

I have a small blog I entitled Shadow Pearls for the seventeen months I was the prime caregiver for both of my parents. It was sometimes the best of times and sometimes the worst of times. And my attitude and trust in the Lord is what helped to make it something I can now look back on with the blessing it did give me and my family overall. It was not a worldly blessing at all, it was downright hard, yet the blessing received was deep, wide and rich because to care for those who need you, those who cared for you when you needed them, comes around to a full circle and you see the Lord's abundant grace and  never ending mercy. I was glad when I was doing it and I am even more glad now that I was able to do it then.

There is a family in my church that cares for his mother in their home. She has dementia. My heart knows what they are living day by day, evening by evening. It is such a privilege to give them a bit of time so they can at the least pretend life is "normal". I tell the daughter-in-law that while others have no framework to understand what they are doing, I do understand and it is a joy for me to come alongside them in little ways.

This past Saturday Miss Marion came to our home and my husband and I kept her all day so this family could go with their visiting daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter for a day of fun and adventure. I love her and she has paved a grove in my heart. 

philomath

                      

 a lover of learning  

This could also be entitled Homeschooling Yourself.

On Happy Homemakers Monday on the last Monday of August I explained I would give some details concerning my new learning plan, a self-imposed objective to extend my own personal learning. Homeschooling myself, so to speak. It is quite simple and while I am not a slave to this plan or the schedule, still I have always done better when I keep a rhythm to my days by having an intentional plan. I definitely did this when I homeschooled my children so it works for me now too.

 The plan is not in cement, it might change a bit depending on the season, yet without any sort of set schedule or plan, I do not believe I would have reasonable amounts of success to accomplishing my goals. 

 Some of these things were already in my daily life, but adding them to "the plan" lends a recorded purpose to my learning curve.

             Four main parts:

I. Literature Reading/Vocabulary

II. Geography/History/Science facts

III. Greek Study

IV. Scripture Memorization 

I. Literature/Vocabulary:

I already have a reading list, but by practicing any new vocabulary I've acquired from reading is necessary if I want to retain the meaning of these words, especially with the hopes of assimilating them into my daily vocabulary.  I allow myself to concentrate on three words weekly. I usually get these words from reading material. I will write sentences for each word and try to use them throughout the week.

II. Geography/History/Science:

This one is fun and my husband has joined me. It does require me to either make a weekly page of facts or information to learn and know or in a pinch I can open one of the several geography/history/science books we have in the library and begin reading and studying any information.  

III. Greek Study:

This is a subject that has been dangling around in the back of the closet for some time. When Charlotte was in middle school, we began a study of Greek with her and a friend using Koine Greek for Beginners.

 This involved learning the Greek alphabet then moving on to the grammar lessons. Since both students had already studied Latin it was much easier to advance in the grammar lessons. This study also included Greek vocabulary words to learn and decline.

  With great expectations of continuing with Greek, I ordered this curriculum of Greek study from Memoria Press. However, due to demands from other subjects for Charlotte  in high school we never and got around to any further formal Greek study. 

But I never lost the idea that I would open those books and  study Greek for myself in the future. What better time than the present? However, I needed a thorough review of basic Greek so I am back in Koine For Beginners once again. This week I am re-learning the Greek alphabet.  After the initial four letters, I add up to three new ones daily. This also includes writing the alphabet every day.

IV. Scripture Memorization 

Most of what I am memorizing presently is in Hebrews since I do lead a Precepts Bible study starting back this Friday. Scripture memorization takes quite a bit of work and persistence. But it is so worth the effort! I can not stress memorizing the Word of God enough. It certainly takes daily practice and review. I might not add but one new verse a week, but I continue with repetition until my brain seems to know it rather well, then the rest of the time is spent reviewing other chapters and verses.

A loose-leaf binder notebook holds all this homeschooling together so I can grab it easily. Usually, as of late summer  I am doing most of my homeschooling in the evening after dinner.

How are you being a philomath? 

 

The ridge

  Walking the ridge has been written about and posted on this blog several times this past year. I do believe it is time I shared a bit about this special piece of land and guest house we purchased almost two years ago. 

 It is located across the street from our home and property consisting of 3 1/2 acres with a little cottage that we have been busily renovating. More will be shared with the house renovations on another post, but today I want to share why the ridge is so important to me and why I walk the ridge almost daily.

1) The View. 

It is only a ridge, but the view is quite beautiful what ever the season. 

2) The Exercise

When the ridge is walked briskly, it gives just enough uphill and downhill to make a it good cardio- effective exercise. The curve of the driveway helps to make it not too steep.

"Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: Thou settles the furrows thereof: Thou makes it soft with showers: Thou blessest the springing thereof."    Psalm 66:10