Merry Christmas

May the love God sent find your heart ready to receive.

May His Peace, Joy, and Faith reside there so that you may say,

All is well with my soul.

Thank you, Jesus

From the Sewing Room - Hagrid's Quilt

I had shown in an earlier post that I was working on a quilt for my daughter who is fixing her sitting room / office like Hagrid's Hut. When I saw an interior photo online of his hut, a quilt thrown across the chair caught my eye. I knew my daughter would love to have it, so I started figuring out a pattern for it right away so I could give it to her for Christmas. It's all scrappy with variety-sized pieces, which took more construction time than I thought it would. I hand quilted big stitches using pearl cotton thread with a cross hatch quilting design. I'm almost finished--just a bit of binding left to sew down. I hope she sees the resemblance!

A Stand for Decency

ClipArtBest

Congratulations, North Carolina, on your legislature's upholding decency and the protection of privacy rights for all who live there. The blackmail by big business, big sports, and big celebrities shows the effort by some outside of North Carolina to control the quality of life of the citizens living there.

What foolishness, anyway, to okay boys going into the girls bathroom! No wonder so many adolescents and young adults are having an identity crisis. They've lost their moorings. So glad there are some like those in North Carolina who are willing to take a stand and throw a life line.

Sounds like North Carolina would be a good place to raise a family.  We have family living there, and we've frequently vacationed in the state. It's good to know that I need not be concerned about who's going to be in the restroom with me while I'm there. 


Want to be clear about HB2? Follow this link to Focus on the Family.
Seven Things You Should Know About North Carolina’s HB2 from Focus on the Family.

The Most Important Event - God With Us

Annunciation to the Shepherds, Govert Flinck 1639

Sharing with you today a brief excerpt from my devotional reading. This comes from the devotional insights in the chronological Bible that I read in the morning hours. It's part of the introduction to the gospels of the incarnation of Jesus, the Christ. A thought from F. LaGard Smith:

All is now ready for the most important event in human history. It is an event planned even before the creation of the world. It is the keeping of a promise made to Abraham over 2000 years earlier. It is the fulfillment of a host of prophecies regarding a Messiah who would come to establish his kingdom. Most importantly, it is the beginning of a dynamically new relationship between God and man. The event is the coming of the savior of the world, the Messiah--or, as referred to in the Greek, the Christ.

BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL, which translated means, "GOD WITH US."

Matthew 1:23

from ~ The NIV Daily Bible in Chronological Order

The Driving Force

As mothers and grandmothers, would we say the same?

I am the Lord's servant.

The trust in this statement is almost childlike. Mary defined herself with startling simplicity: "I am the Lord's servant." She stated her life-purpose clearly: "May it be to me as you have said." Obedience to God's will was the driving force of her life. 

~ Susan Hunt, in Spiritual Mothering

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Linking up today with The Simple Woman's Daybook

Click on the image below to read other simple women's entries.

For Today

Looking out my window

My Beloved built a new accomodation for the nativity.

We have it in the front yard.

I am thinking

It would be nice if more folks in our neighborhood did a little outdoor decorating for Christmas. It need not be elaborate, a simple wreath or window light would bid good tidings to us all, but only a few give any indication that they're celebrating the season.

I am thankful   

That I have loved ones to buy gifts for and God's provision to do so. 

Did a little shopping today.

One of my favorite things

Quiet evenings with My Beloved, listening to music.

I am listening to

The Messiah as I write. 

Beautiful and Uplifting.

 
I am hoping

That the weather is clear for our daughters and families to come after Christmas.

I am learning

I'm not at all techy, but My Beloved is teaching me a little bit about ipads and tablets as we help my mother think through getting one for my dad for Christmas. 

I just might end up wanting one myself. ;-)

In my kitchen

Just finished some No-Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies. Yum!

Looking forward to settling down in a few minutes with a little snack and a glass of milk. 

In the Sewing Room

I made several pillow cases for pre-Christmas gifts from holiday fabric. Forgot to take pictures before I gifted them, but I did get a photo of the ones I kept for our bed. 

I used flannel with bird motifs that match the bedroom decor. The fabric was barely wide enough for our king pillows. The other standard pillowcases worked up just fine with a yard of fabric. The kings needed about 1 1/3 yard. I made these plain as well as some of the others. For one set I followed Crafty Gemini's tutorial to make cases with contrasting bands.

Shared Quote

It's not how much we have but how much we enjoy that makes happiness.

- Charles Spurgeon

A moment from my day

Our newest grand just began walking this week, so I set up the Christmas Village in the curio cabinet this year. There are five shelves filled with hustle and bustle. 

Makes me want to just step right in!

Closing Notes

May God bless your and yours as you celebrate the season and contemplate the incarnation of God's Son, Jesus Christ.

 

Where Is Hope?

I listened today to Michelle's lament--"Now we are feeling what not having hope feels like.” Hope has been misplaced by many among us. It cannot be found in mankind, no matter how much we hope so.

I've never had hope in a president...past, present, nor future. My hope has been and continues to be found in God's Son, Jesus Christ.  He offers us hope in His sovereign purposes, no matter who we voted for...or against. I find peace in that knowledge this Christmas and for the coming years.

Yes, "hope is necessary"... and we need to be sure where our hope is.

Photo ~ Our Tree

Recommending: The Word Became Flesh with RC Sproul

Listening this evening to this beautiful interpretation of the carnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It begins with the words, "In the beginning was the Word." It tells the plan of salvation as RC Sproul continues the narrative from the book of Genesis through Revelation, with familiar carols, hymns and newer choral pieces throughout.

I find it to be a thrilling narrative to listen to as I ponder the fact that God Himself became flesh and dwelt among. It gives me goose bumps!

We're listening on Spotify, but if you click the image above, you can listen on Amazon or buy the CD.

Independent Study to Scholarly Research

As I mention in the sidebar, we joyfully taught our daughters at home through high school. Those were years filled with learning on both sides of the desk--for them and for us. We knew the girls were doing well in many ways during those years, and our family reaped many benefits as we went along. It was when they went to college that we found out what an advantage they had gained. There have been many studies over the years showing the value of home education, and we like to encourage those who are on their own journey.

An article I read today speaks of many of the same advantages. Written by a university faculty member, titled "Homeschooled students bring own skill set to university campuses." 

Parent-educated students that I’ve met exhibit a strong intellectual vitality and passion for exploring difficult concepts. On the average, they have a penchant for open-ended problem-solving. It is plausible that in their homeschool environments, they’ve already been given a vast number of opportunities to grow their capacities for self-direction. Consequently, their inclination for independent study seamlessly transfers to the scholarly research environment.

If you're a home-educating family or considering it, I'm sure you'll find encouragement in reading the entire article, found here at floridapolitics.com. If you'd like more information on educating your children at home, or just want to learn a bit more about it, you can click on the image above that will take you to HSLDA, advocates for homeschooling.

We began our journey in the 1980s when the road was less traveled. We were some of the pioneers, and much could be said about the joy in all of that--as I've touched on here and there in some posts. Our daughters married home-educated fellas. All graduated from universities, two at the top of their classes (our daughter being one, another daughter with honors), three with master's degrees, and all are doing well with what they've chosen in life. AND our grandchildren are being taught at home as well. The proof is in the pudding.

If you're on your own journey, I do wish you well. Keep on keeping on!

Image from the Home School Legal Defense Association

Coming Alongside

Thinking today of the affirming relationship between Jesus' mother Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, how each encouraged the other in their miraculous calling as mothers. Mothers who would nurture two boys, who themselves would one day change the world. Each woman needed the other, each understood the other. Although Mary and Elizabeth were experiencing something others of us could hardly imagine, we all need affirming relationships with other women who can empathize and encourage.

Scripture speaks of being a Titus 2 woman, one who nurtures younger women in their journey through life. Life can be a struggle. I remember thinking how complicated it was as I tried to figure out this thing of being a wife and mother. In His wisdom, God gives older women instruction to teach the younger women the ways of womanhood. Too often we get our instruction from current culture, from the media, from the celebrities. More often than not, it's hollow and empty. 

I've had women through the years who have filled this need in my own life. Like Mary, some have been family. Others have been dear friends. Some have simply taken me under their wings for a season and nurtured me through it. For all, I am forever grateful.

I hope I'm that kind of woman to other women. I know I've had many opportunities and am thankful for the privilege to come alongside. With our move last year, most of my spiritual daughters were left behind. That saddens me, but I sense that God is opening doors once again. I'm eager to walk along a few new paths to empathize and encourage in the coming year.

Painting ~ The Day's Catch, Daniel Ridgeway Knight 1839-1924

A Weekend Visit

Carl Sandburg's Home in Flat Rock, NC

We had a very pleasant visit with our daughter and son-in-law over the weekend, filled with Christmas spirit and wonderful hospitality. One of the highlights was a trip to Carl Sandburg's home in Flat Rock, NC. Although the furnishings and book collections had been removed for preservation work on the house, it was still an interesting visit. I can't recall having read any of Sandburg's works, (although I probably did as a class assignment somewhere in time), but I was totally impressed with the myriad of bookcases he and his wife had added in renovation throughout the house--for his collection of more than 15,000 books. My Beloved recently added bookcases to his office/study, so seeing Sandburg's home in that respect was an inspiration. I'd like to go back in a few years after the preservation work is done to see the actual books and the furnishings of the home. If you click on the picture, it will take you to more information.

Another highlight was the Sunday morning worship service at our daughter's church--totally magnificent! The orchestra, choir, and congregation filled the sanctuary with such heavenly music, that as I closed my eyes, I could imagine God in Heaven receiving it as a sweet, sweet sound in His ear. The pastor reminded us to keep our eyes on the Gift of Jesus, and not  merely on the wrappings and trappings of our cultural Christmas. Truly a blessed time of corporate worship.

The Richest and Best Things

God has so constituted us that in loving and caring for our own children the richest and best things in our natures are drawn out. Many of the deepest and most valuable lessons ever learned are read from the pages of unfolding child-life. We best understand the feelings and affections of God toward us when we bend over our own child and see in our human parenthood a faint image of the divine Fatherhood.

~ J.R. Miller, in Homemaking

Painting ~ Hush, John Henry Lorimer 1856-1936

Welcome, December

Welcome, December

Wasn't autumn just last week?

And have we been here almost a year already?