a simple gift

On Thursday mornings for the past month, an orchestra practices in my sun room.

This orchestra consists of three young violinist,

and a cellist.

Young muscians hold sublime favor with me. The learning of a new instrument and performing for an audience is not aways an easy task, but to see their expressions and watch their determination is priceless.

Tomorrow evening is the recital. 

Here is a tiddly bit of a preview.

of turning seventeen, and making memories

The only surprise birthday party I ever had was when I turned seventeen. To this day I do not know how my mother kept this unexpected event such a secret, but she did. While Rose has asked me about surprise parties, somehow I find myself getting all sweaty and nervous just thinking about throwing a surprise party. More my style to plan and discuss, "What about this...and what other places do you want to see?"

We stayed on the 14th floor downtown. We visited museums and ate good food such as fried pickles and ravioli swimming in a roasted red pepper cream sauce.

We each had our favorite part.

Then we came home to no birthday cake (after all the birthday cake baker was away),  but what we did have was friends and family....and seventeen candles on ice cream sundaes!

Happy 17th Birthday my sweet Rose.

You surprise me for the good on most days...

a role worth honoring

To quote a Frenchman on this Mother's Day,

"Thus the Americans do not think that man and woman have either the duty or the right to perform the same office, but they show an equal regard for both their respective parts; and though their lot is different, they consider both of them as beings of equal value."

Alexis de Tocqeville, a nineteenth century French historian,  wrote a book entitled, Democracy in America. I was saddened to read some of his excerpts regarding the America of his time period in light of how much culture has changed America concerning the roles of men and women with these roles remaining intact. In fact, it almost seems like a speeding train on a timeline, without having to look very far back.

If you are interested in reading an excellent article on motherhood and how its role has been degraded by those who do not know or consider truth, you may check this link. This article may grip your heart at times, but thankfully there is much there that also sheds hope, a glimmering, for the future. It is important how we convey this to the next generation, being created women by God and understanding how tremendous those God- given roles are in shaping a society, only for its good I might add. Tocqeville realized what America had in the 1800s as a treasure. It just seems we might have been treasure- hunting in the pig styes of humanistic thought.

I believe in the power of prayer, and the huge responsibility that godly families and the church hold in establishing a culture that understands and values the roles ordained by God.  Therefore, on this day set apart to honor the role of motherhood, because it does not need to be seen as a "Hallmark" declared day,  may we hunger for His truth and heed the words of Titus 2, "But speak those things which become sound doctrine...teachers of good things."

Happy Mothers Day!

Enjoy the honor given to mothers.

lavender furniture polish

Always enjoying the possibility of aromatherapy while tending to housewifery duties leads me to the hunt for natural and simple ingredients to make up small quantities of household cleaners. This Lavender Furniture Polish works well on fine wood furniture such as cherry, mahogany, or oak, and it leaves the most tantalizing hint of lavender in the recently polished room.

here and there...

You may have heard the little ditty...."Jimmy cracked corn and I don't care...". I have found myself so weary this past week, that was the remark that came out of my mouth as I traveled the freeways and interstates with my husband. Here and there...to and fro. To airports, to hospitals, back and forth.

And it is not my intention to dwell on the fact that the sunshine is on vacation...

Yet, there is so much good, and joy, and answered prayer swallowing me like a blanket. I want to abide in Him, fully, with trust and faith being stirred continuously.

Weariness has a tendency to grab my soul from time to time and joy flitters out the window...tweet, tweet. Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith... I am reading the book of Hebrews...rich words of power and strength.

Alan is in Thailand, settling in, I want to think so anyway. He likes it so far. And I am having to do things I said I have no interest in doing in order to communicate with him on a regular basis. We are figuring out how it will all work for everyone concerned, daily. Time changes and schedules make it interesting.

We received a phone call Thursday night around 10:45, the time I was just laying aside my sewing to go and take a shower...my mother-in-law had fallen, and it looked like she may have broken her hip. My husband and I packed a small overnighter and headed out to make the two hour drive to the hospital. I am thankful to report she has come through surgery remarkably well and is being transferred to a rehab center today.

Tomorrow brings another adventure. My beautiful daughter is turning 17 on Wednesday, so just the two of us are making a junket to Richmond for a couple days. She is a" museumy" type of gal and there are some museums she wants to visit in this city.

I told George I loved him today; I realized he has established residence in my heart now. I still miss my Penny sleeping beside me at night, George prefers sleeping on a bedside chair instead, but he is here to stay. Therefore, I scattered a few here and there photos of him, being George, and all.

sweet sprigs of lilacs

It was  one year ago yesterday.

She would have loved the fact that it is the time of blooming lilacs. She would have found equal delight in that I gather sprigs to bring inside and place in a teapot to remind me of her.

of cakes and planes

Traditionally, the saying "Let them eat cake" has had significance of some sort or another with historical figures and fancy breads. But for us this saying was found on a table awash in a variety of cakes at a reception held at the church for Alan. Alan left for Thailand today where he will be living in the suburbs of Bangkok teaching English to high schoolers, intending to stay there until next year.

 I baked six cakes, and two friends graciously baked the other three.

I never knew Alan would be my adventurous one, but it should not have surprised me considering how God has used Alan in such miraculous ways his entire life. This huge step is just an on-going follow-up to a life hid in Christ. We are going to miss him tremendously though. 

  My husband and I stood afar and kept our eyes fixed on him until he headed down the steps topped by the words, TO THE GATES. He is presently at the Kennedy International Airport on a six hour layover before boarding a jet that will take him from this country to another one far, far away. 

 Alan is fulfilling plans ordained for him by His Heavenly Father, 

therefore, a steadfast peace grips our souls.

April morn wonder

Just the words, April morn,capture a sense of beauty and wonder, but the startling fact of the matter gave credence on this particular day in my breakfast room. Maybe it is in the touch of warmer temperatures, the smells of blooming trees, the visual effects of colorful flowers and verdant grass, or the merry sounds of song birds giving joyful choruses, whatever, April is worth praising.

                           
                                     A smocking project being blocked...a blouse for Charlotte.

Show and Tell

 Ever since I was a child we had something called Show and Tell which everyone looked forward to at different times during the school year. So here I am now to relive those days and to show and tell you about  my latest  finished sewing project. My Smocking Guild group is full of ladies dripping in talent, and with this comes a display of ideas with things we should do as individual projects, to keep us sewing and learning new things. This past year, one of the projects we attempted to do was a book cover. You could use any fabric of choice, but I chose strips of natural colored silks sewn together and embroidered with threads of neutral tones. A book cover to gussie- up a photo album.

If you enjoy hand stitching, this would be a project well worth your time. It is so pleasing to hear the needle swoosh through the silk, and finding new stitches to practice on the seams filled many a winter evening. This is also a good take along project, and those of you who do this know how valuable and important that is while waiting for appointments or children who are in a piano lesson or such.

A memory keeper for sure!

the beekeepers

I love my macro lens.

Because then I was able to watch the beekeepers from afar, without worry of bee stings.

My husband and Witt spent every Tuesday evening during the winter months of January through early March taking a beekeeping class. The results are two beehives in my back yard. Witt will get his hives and bees the last weekend of this month, meanwhile he and my husband are becoming acquainted with these fascinating insects as they opened the hives yesterday afternoon to free the queen from her shipping box.

A honey producing acquaintance has begun.

a spring yarnalong

yarnalong, outside in the springlike weather

I have not been able to participate in Ginny's yarnalong these past weeks for the simple reason that threads, needles and fabric have been in my hands, as I have been sewing instead of knitting. But for the past two days I have made my own private sort of yarnalong, the unraveling of a summer top knitted three springs ago!  And you must not forgot the contributions of a dog, a cat and a six year old boy visitor in making even a more scrambly mess! I wish you could feel this Debbie Bliss Prima Cotton yarn though, very soft and cool to the touch. This is the reason I am taking my time to meticulously unravel it with the thoughts of knitting something else from it. The summer top I initially knitted from this yarn was beautiful and fit like a charm  until you reached the bottom end and then the proportions became completely awry. A simple sleeveless top pattern is what I am seeking to knit. And yes I am open to any ideas and suggestions, but only those that are tried and true.

It seemed only fitting to reach onto my book shelf and pull off a book written by Edith Schaeffer, in her memory. It has been many years since I have read this book and I am looking forward to revisiting it.  Entwined throughout its pages are scriptures as well as real life scenarios and examples from her own life or those she has known.

"...this book is dedicated to those who lives are a part of mine, including the wider circle of the family, who have been...and are...the human factor in my continuing process of learning-for I am still learning! These people are the human factor in all our learning, although, for those of us who know Him, the understanding the Lord gives cannot be measured an any way."

And that is only the dedication.