a cloud with a silver lining

With every cloud there is most definitely a silver lining and my particular scenario delivered the inevitable cleaning that took place recently at my house because of all the rearranging of rooms in my home at the present. Mother moves in tomorrow, she will take our bedroom located downstairs, my husband and I will take Alan's old bedroom upstairs, the bedroom that has just been recently redecorated and made into a spare bedroom. A huge task to say the least, but I was able to go through so many things and move them to more appropriate places either known as storage or garbage, depending on the item. It felt so good to be organizing closets, shelves, drawers and the deeper cleaning of baseboards, blinds and walls left me feeling satisfied, howbeit, tired as I was.

awaiting the hospital bed that is to be delivered early tomorrow morning.

to knit and to read

It seems almost to good to be true, almost a daily diet of knitting which has allowed for another yarn along with Ginny this week, especially since the matter of being in the process of reading is never a problem for me.

Fingerless mitts in a jade green wool with flecks of navy blue, I like to call this a tweed yarn. Do any of you have the proper name for it? I am reading a book worthy of attention for all women, What Is A Family? by Edith Schaeffer. But then any book by her might be worth your attention. Just as the sun was heading toward the west a quick photo was shot on the paved stones outside.

I am certainly enjoying this yarn along, thank you Ginny!

on Monday

 The morning was cloudy and misty and it being a Monday I figured buttermilk pancakes could only help in getting the morning started on the right foot. They were served alongside fresh blueberries and raspberries in the sunroom with the glow of a lighted candle.  By afternoon the day's ongoing drab and drizzle succeeded in creating a very real droopiness in me too. So I did the only sensible thing and put on a kettle of water to boil.  A china tea mug was chosen out of the cupboard and filled with Earl Grey tea. The violets on this mug make me think of the unexpected discovery of violets in the springtime, usually found growing in shady waysides or on a path wandered for here to there.

 "I am the LORD thy GOD which teacheth you to profit, 

which leadeth you by the way that you shouldest go." 

Isaiah 48:17

Upon reading these words, I meditated on the fullness of His words. Such comfort to know Him and to trust His ways.

  And later I listened to Pandora's offerings of Bach/Classical while I hand basted a piece of gingham fabric that is to be smocked and made into a gift bag.

 Bye Bye dreariness. 

to share the times of our lives

I have spent the past year actively caring for my elderly parents, which ultimately led to me creating another blog, Shadow Pearls, a place to blog about the verisimilitudes of caring for elderly, and in my case, sick parents. I desired cherith revisited to be a blog that reveled domesticity, to record and share a kaleidoscope of my life all under an umbrella of faith and family.

Please indulge me this one post to spill over from one blog to another, especially since my domestic life will include some changes very soon. The plans are to have my mother moved here to my home by January 30, chunks of my day are delegated to making arrangements for this huge task.  Yet schooling, laundry and meal preparations are carried on too, without the neglecting of any of the girls' extracurricular activities. I have cooked chicken pastry, (my husband's favorite) and a savory beef stew along with the baking of a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Piano lessons, ballet classes, CC, Latin Club, Church, and every evening play practices have formed the core of my days along with visits with my mother. And I even went by the store and bought a black dress today.

I have peace now. A peace that has eluded me this past year and instead left me feeling like I was drowning in a weighty grief.

 I rejoice in His tender mercies and His perfect timeliness.

"I love the LORD because He has heard my voice and my supplications.

Because He has inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live."

Psalm116:1-2

Oh, and have I mentioned I covet your prayers?

knitting and reading and...

...Yarn along...ing.

Several months back I was reading Gigi's blog and I ran across two things that interest me immensely, knitting and reading. I had toyed with the idea of officially joining this group even though I do not usually do these sort of things.

Today was the day. You may join up too,  here.

A grape shrug for Charlotte, it feels like a hush. If anything could ever feel a hush that is. Actually, I completed knitting this shrug recently but I am considering knitting her another one using cotton yarn for the springtime.

Have you ever read D.E. Stevenson? If not, please allow me to introduce her to you. She is a British writer who wrote mainly in the 1930's through the 1960's. She writes the most enjoyable stories. Check your library shelves or stacks, several of her books, thankfully, still remain on my local library's shelves.  A good rummage through some old book stores would be nice to see if I can stumble upon any of her treasures.

a stash of chocolate

A bug bit me sometime around the first of the year. This bug demanded the cleaning, the straightening and the putting aright of several closets and cupboards.

An assortment of chocolate was found on the top shelf of the kitchen cupboard, a stash was also discovered in a bedside table drawer, and an entire unwrapped bar was hiding on a closet shelf!

Now the chocolate has the temporary venue of an antique egg basket.

No more hide and seek, though willpower might need to be unleashed in greater measure. 

sunny porridge

A most auspicious breakfast, cooked porridge drizzled with maple syrup and given a plenteous topping of fresh blueberries.

If I was a champion I would put my face on a box of oatmeal and give credence to its glories.

puzzling

A day or so before New Years Eve we go out and purchase a new jigsaw puzzle. Then we spend hours each day making it all come together with the hope it will be completed sometime around the time of New Years Day. I am not one that likes to have a puzzle just always laying around, here a piece there a piece is not my style, I prefer marathon puzzle events. That is why we make no excuses and allow a teeny bit of justification for the expending of countless hours until its completion, thus the after Christmas holiday activity.

Barnes and Noble had a fairly good selection for us to choose from this year.  It was hitting midnight and I was all alone, everyone else had taken to their beds, my eyes were droopy and my shoulders were aching with fatigue, but I was driven with a persistent mood to finish  the puzzle Monday night.

It laid there until this morning when Charlotte was commissioned to tear it apart and restore it to its original condition.

winter whites

Tea is served in shades of winter in mid afternoon. It nourishes between lunch and supper.

"Winter is the time for comfort,

 for good food and warmth, 

for the touch of a friendly hand,

and for a talk besides the fire:

it is the time for home."

                           ~Edith Sitwell~

the day old man winter blew in

I am sitting at my kitchen table; I am warm through and through. But winter has made a definite stop with sudden bursts of cold wind and lower, chilling temperatures.

Today we started our first school day of the semester, a full morning under our belts. But CC does not begin until next Tuesday so there is still quite a bit of breathing room left for the time being. I managed to put a pot of soup on which is presently simmering. Smells so good!   And while I was at it I decided to take the carcass and make stock for future winter soups. We eat large amounts of soups in the winter and having bags of ready-made stock in the freezer is handy.

Near my house there is large patch of woods, graced with a running creek, rocks of all sizes, and lofty trees. It is a marvelous place to take a winter hike. We bundled up against the cool wind and set off after lunch.

Then we returned home to freshly baked cranberry scones. These are delicious. Sift together two cups of flour, six tablespoons of sugar, one tablespoon of baking powder, and one-half teaspoon of salt.  With a pastry blender cut into the dry ingredients six tablespoons of chilled, unsalted butter which has been cut into small pieces. Stir in two-third cups of half-and-half just until moistened and then gently fold in one-half cup of chopped cranberries. The cranberries just need to be halved. Gently knead on a floured surface and pat and form into a one-inch-thick circle. Cut into eight wedges and place on baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little half-and-half. Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown, about twelve minutes.

Beat one-half cup of heavy cream with one to two tablespoons of powdered sugar to be served with them.

Side note: Scones are best eaten on the day they are made.  So feed at least eight people, or maybe there are four at your table so you can each have two, or maybe....you get the picture.

Rose gave a finishing comment,  "I love the taste of the sweet cream and the tartness of the cranberries all at once".

 It does put them on my highly recommended list.

My gift to you

Another Christmas has come and gone. There resides a few forlorn presents underneath the Christmas tree, the tree that comes down tomorrow.  Bits of tissue paper are scattered in various places throughout my house, red and gold ribbons are showing signs of limpness, the once shiny colored balls are dull and are showing signs of misplacement. Even though its time to pack up all Christmasy things until next year, still we are feeling the signs of sadness now that Christmas is finally over.

 How marvelous the New Year has  arrived with its arrival of multifarious expectations, like a mass of confetti floating wildly around us!

But I have one last gift to give. A list of blogging friends garnered that have touched my life in some way. 

(The order is entirely random).

Hill Upon Hill
A Different Drum
Wayside Wanderer
Gladsome Lights
Stitching Under the Oaks
Ribbons of Light
Gypsy Slow Down
Firefly Cottage
By the Sea
the Buttr'y and Bookr'y
No Spring Chicken
Pieces of Sunshine
The Gracious Gourmand

(There are a few others that no longer blog not listed obviously, but I do miss them.)  So on this new year, situate yourself comfortable-like, grab a mug of hot tea or cocoa, and visit  some of these lovely sites and get to know these woman. They are each a gift to me and I desired to share them with you.

And because what is a post without a photo I may ask?

The "photographer" was set upon a litte shelf on the wall and set on auto.