This and That

The past few weeks have been full. Here are some highlights.

This is Sayre's ginger bread church. It is "Cold Springs Chapel". He made it with his friends, Luke and Samuel, who also each made one .

The Christmas season would not have been complete without a visit to Liset's. Here she is with one of her precious daughters. Would you believe this Lady is a grandmother?



The Franco's made a lovely gingerbread home.



We were priviledged to have my dear Mother-in-law with us for a week. It made Christmas even more of a family event!



We also had our friend Chelsey with us for several days. She brought her several rabbits and three goats, two of which she bottle feeds. They were really cute!

Times of Testings

We read in James "count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations". Temptations: trials, testings. What are these temptations? Are they real obvious when they happen? Will I recognize the temptation when it happens? Will I have time to think through my choices when the temptation comes?

I've been realizing that these temptations are not solicitations to do wrong. In verse 13 we read "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." Instead, they are actually tests. Trial runs, if you will.

They are opportunities for US to see the real condition of our heart. They are things that happen which ellicit a response from us, and they are almost always unexpected. They often involve an emotional response from us.

I remember the illustration that Jim Berg uses ~ the tea bag illustration. When you pour hot water over your tea bag, what's inside comes out! When the boiling water of a trial is poured upon us, our response is determined by the contents of our own heart! If our heart is lacking virtue, or the fruit of the Spirit, well ~ we can be rather ugly. But if the fruit of the Spirit is developing nicely through the grace God gives us, we need not worry about biting our tongue, or making and effort to be kind when the test comes.

Often, the Spirit is working in us, showing us our sin and need to become more like Christ. If we are in Christ, he will keep us informed about sin. But sometimes we get discouraged, thinking we will never "get over" this particular problem! Oh how deep are the roots of these sinful bad habits! But these trials are opportunities to practice making right choices; "knowing this that the trial of our faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

So what trials will you and I face today? Unexpected interuptions? Spilled milk under the refrigerator? Rebellion of a child? Sickness? Let's remember to "count it all joy when . . ."

A Hymn for The Lord's Day

This time of year, many people may wonder about the significance of Chritmas. Why would a culture go to such extremes to celebrate the coming of a round elderly gentleman in a red suit? I would ask, "Why would we?".
I would like you to know the real significance of Christmas. The meaning is in the very name: Christ mass. The celebration is Christ.
But why is He important? Because He is God. He came from Heaven to make the one sacrifice for our sins that would be enough to pay the penalty for our sins. Unless that sacrifice was made, we would spend eternity in Hell after our life here on earth is over.
Maybe you don't believe in spiritual things. Maybe you believe there is no life after death. Many have been in the same state of unbelief. But the subject warrents very serious thought. Many have spent their lives searching for the meaning of life.

The hymn for today is not a Christmas hymn, but it has been on my heart. It is from my heart to you.

No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus

Charles F. Weigle 1871-1966


I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus
Since I found in Him a Friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely-
He did something that no other friend could do.

No on ever cared for me like Jesus,
There's no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me-
O how much He cared for me.

All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me,
All my heart was full of misery and woe;

Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me,
And He led me in the way I ought to go.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There's no ther friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me-
O how much He cared for me.

Ev'ry day He comes to me with new assurance,
More and more I understand His words of love;
But I'll never know just why He came to save me,
Till some day I see His blessed face above.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There's no other friend so kind as He;

No one else could take the sin and darkness from me-
O how much He cared for me.


You can become a follower of Christ and recieve pardon for your sins.
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Romans 4:5)

Snowflakes and Stocking Caps

Here in South Carolina, we seem to have a decided shortage on snow! But it HAS been cold! Cold enough for warm hats!

Last year, I made up this little hat design for Hamlin because he needed something to keep the cold air off his little neck.

There are probably many variations on this theme, but I call this a "Hoodie".

It is made in this Precious Baby Blue ~ with a little creamy snowflake


and also in Sweet Pea Pink ~ with a little boullion rose.

Hoodies will soon be found in the Shoppe!

Baby does NOT come with hoodie!!!!!

A Hymn For The Lord's Day: Our Great Saviour

OUR GREAT SAVIOUR

by J. Wilbur Chapman 1859-1918


Jesus! What a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Saviour, makes me whole.

Jesus! what a Strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him;

Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my Strength, my vict'ry wins.

Jesus! what a Help in sorrow!
While the billows o'er me roll,

Even when my heart is breaking,

He, my Comfort, helps my soul

Jesus! what a Guide and Keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
Storms about me, night o'er takes me,

He, my Pilot, hears my cry.

Jesus! I do now receive Him,
More that all in Him I find,
He hath granted me forgiveness,

I am His, and He is mine.

Hallelujah! what a Saviour!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Study in White: The Chemise

This is the chemise I made to go with the pink jumper from another post. It is one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing I own.

A chemise is a shirt like garment historically worn under an outer garment. It was worn next to the skin to protect the clothing from body oils and perspiration.
I used Jennie Chancey's pattern which Simplicity printed. I made some rather major changes to her pattern, as you see.

The neckline on the pattern is for a drawstring, thus it had a lot of fullness through the bodice. Instead I used the chemisette view D and made more of a blouse ~ actually a VERY long blouse! It is intended to do double duty as a blouse and slip combination.


I love the underarm gusset!

It is made of 100% cotton sateen purchased at Hancock's fabrics. It is soft enough to make baby clothing! It feels like pure luxury to wear. At $4.49 per yard, it is a great value, in my opinion. And it now comes in many different colors!

A Hymn for Sunday

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth-
Over and around us lies:
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the wonder of each hour

Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale, and tree and flow'er,

Sun and moon, and stars of light:

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above,
For all gentle thought and mild:
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thyself, best Gift Divine!
To our race so freely giv'n;
For that great, great love of Thine,
Peace on earth, and joy in heav'n:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

Words by: Folliott S. Pierpoint
Music by; Conrad Kocher (adapted by: William Henry Monk)

Taken from my daughters' blog

Sweet Old-Fashioned Jumper

On a trip to Mary Joe's taken back in the summer, I found this lovely old-fashioned print and just couldn't pass it up. Originally I though it would make charming clothespin bags. And it would have. It was made by Cranston/The Flavia Company for Quilting Treasures. It seems to be from the Bessie Pease collection. No wonder I loved it!

The jumper design was inspired by this image. It is an image from an old pattern. It looks rather Edwardian, doesn't it?

Here is a close-up of the bodice. In my next post I will show you the chemise under it.

I always enjoy seeing another lady wearing feminine clothing. They stand out. They arrest my attention and cheer me up. One time in particular, I remember a woman of about 30 walking through Wal Mart. She immediately caught my eye for she had on a hat. It was not frilly or out of place in the least. It was just an everyday felt hat that looked sharp on her, and seemed to be a natural part of who she was. If I remember correctly, she was wearing a lavender sweater which looked so lovely with her brown skin, and a neutral skirt. She looked sharp ~ I think she must have been sharp!

Here's the back view. The chemise makes this type of jumper wearable.
I will be doing some posts in the next couple of weeks showing some ideas for pretty, feminine garments. I will be doing a group of posts called "A Study In White".

I Sing the Mighty Power of God

I sing the mighty power of God that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at his command, and all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord that filled the earth with food,
He formed the creatures with His word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed where'er I turn my eye:
If I survey the ground I tread or gaze upon the sky!

There's not a plant or flow'r below but makes Thy glories known;
And clouds arise and tempests blow by order from Thy throne,
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care,
And ev'ry-where that man can be, Thou, God, art present there.

O Give Us Homes

Unknown Writer

to be sung to the tune of "Be Still My Soul"


O give us homes built firm upon the Saviour,
Where Christ is head and counselor and guide.
Where every child is taught His love and favor,

And gives his heart to Christ the crucified.

How sweet to know that tho his footsteps waver,

His faithful Lord is walking by his side.

O give us homes with godly fathers, mothers,

Who always place their hope and trust in Him.

Whose tender patience turmoil never bother,

Whose calm and courage trouble cannot dim.

A home where each find joy in serving others,

And love still shines tho days be dark and grim.

It is my prayer that you will seek to nurture a godly home. Even if you are all alone in this endeavor, the little light He has kindled in your heart may be the light that will enable your loved ones to see the Savior. Keep it burning brightly, that it may "give light unto all that are in the house".

Lettuce in the Cutting Garden

We love salad! It is so good for us! This time of year, as it cools down, you can begin growing your own! It really takes very little space to grow. You just have to remember to water it if the weather is dry.

This is Romain. It's only about six inches tall. I started the seeds in plastic cups on August 11. I think it has had a pretty slow start.

This is Buttercrunch. It is doing pretty well. Replant your lettuce seed every three weeks for a steady crop throughout the cool months.

I remember my Grandma picking "greens" out of the yard and "wilting" them with hot bacon grease, and vinegar. Yum!

For wilting like Grandma did we use fresh spinach now, and sometimes even leaf lettuce. Both those types "wilt" nicely.

WILTED LETTUCE:

1-3 T Bacon grease
3 T cider vinegar
3 T brown sugar
Bring to a boil in a small saucepan, dissolving the sugar. Pour at once over the torn greens, spinach, or leaf lettuce. Add a little poppy seed if you like! (and maybe a few dried cranberries!)

I believe this is Black Seeded Simpson.

I planted some hollyhocks at the back of the planter. I might have gotten them in too late in order for them to be perennial.

Since we love lettuce salads so much, we have found some of our favorite toppings to be these:

cashews, raisins, crumbled bacon, cranberries, sunflowers, cheese ~ lots of cheese!
Are you hungry yet?

The Wash Basin at the Sugarfoot Festival

Most of the rural towns here in the south have some sort of fall festival. What a great tradition. They are wonderful events for families to attend together. Perhaps your town holds the same sort of festival.
The little town of Honea Path is about five miles from our home. Ashley and I decided we would like to participate in the festival they put on. Soooo ~ we took The Wash Basin to the craft fair!
What a lot of fun we had.



















My husband and the other country gentlemen loaded us up into "The Beast" (the name of my husbands old pick-up) and transported us and all our goodies to Honea Path. They set all our tables and "furnishings" up for us. We didn't have to do a thing but the decorating! (They take good care of us!)
Sawyer spent the morning with us, then went home for his nappie.
























We were rather pleasantly surprised to find the mayor open the festival with a word of prayer, giving God the glory for all His blessings! The Colors were displayed and the National Anthem was sung. It thrilled me!
A lot of blue grass gospel music was performed and one man even sang "How Great Thou Art" ~ acapella. I have to say, that it was good to know that God is still in the hearts of some of the people in this community.
When the love of God dies in a nation, the people have nothing left but a love of themselves ~ and despair. We see it everywhere, especially in the young people. I sincerely hope you know God~not just know about Him, but know Him on a personal level~intimately. If this is not the case for you, I encourage you to seek Him through His Book, the Bible. He has promised that "If you seek me, you shall find me, if you seek with all your heart".

Jesus, Lover of My Soul

Jesus, Lover of My Soul

by Charles Wesley

Jesus, Lover of my soul,

Let me to Thy bosom fly,

While the nearer waters roll,

While the tempest still is high:

Hide me, O my Savior, hide,

Till the storm of life is past;

Safe into the haven guide;

O receive my soul at last!

Other refuge have I none;

Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;

Leave, ah! leave me not alone,

Still support and comfort me:

All my trust on Thee is stayed,

All my help from Thee I bring;

Cover my defenseless head

With the shadow of Thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want;

More that all in Thee I find:

Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,

Heal the sick, and lead the blind.

Just and holy is Thy Name,

I am all unrighteousness;

False and full of sin I am,

Thou art full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found,

Grace to cover all my sin;

Let the healing streams abound;

Make and keep me pure within.

Thou of life the Fountain art,

Freely let me take of Thee:

Spring Thou up within my heart,

Rise to all eternity.

May The Lord richly bless your Lord's Day as you set aside this day to worship Him alone.

Update on the Rose Garden

Planting roses here in the south is best done in the fall. The plants get a good start by developing their root systems while the weather is mild before going into dormancy. I ordered eight rose bushes this summer, and most of them arrived the first week of October, just like I requested. I ordered from a nursery in the state of Washington. I was very happy with their condition and overall health.

First, they boys dug HUGE holes. They had to be two feet deep and two feet wide. This was quite a feat since there was only three inches of topsoil before they hit red clay!

After the "dirt" was removed, a four inch layer of rabbit droppings was placed in the bottom of the hole. (Well aged manure was actually recommended, but rabbit waste is as good, but much milder.)

They then mixed one part peat with three parts good soil. One cup of bone meal was mixed in. Bone meal encourages root development. We found that our dogs can smell it a mile away, so we had to put the bag up out of their reach! They will also dig your plant up trying to find the "bone" in your hole!
The hole was well watered, partially filled with mix, then the little bushes were placed in the hole and the rest of the mix put in around it.
I so look forward to next summer when they start to bloom like the one below. This bush was already in place when we moved in. It is such a lovely plant. The flowers turn from medium pink to dark burgundy. I would love to know it's name.

God made such a lovely world for us to live in. How thankful I am that He made these beautiful flowers for US! I think He takes delight in admiring His handywork too! How we can marvel at their ability to point us to their Creator

Tea and Crumpets!

My Dad had a real dry sense of humor. He was a master of the metaphor. He had a name for everything. Being from the mid-west, he found common names just not imaginative enough for his tastes. For example, he called guns, "shooting irons". And he called a mid-afternoon snack, "Tea and Crumpet time"! And you always served "picky-nibbles" at these events.
I would like to share with you a wonderful "picky-nibble" receipt I found some years back in a cookbook called Perennials. I served it last night at our church fellowship. It went very nicely with all the sandwiches, although it is rather a lovely pastry.

AUSTRIA TWISTS

1. Combine in a bowl, and mix well:

3 C flour

1 package yeast

1 C butter, softened

2. Blend in the following:

3 egg yolks

8 ounces packages cream cheese, softened

3. Divide into four balls. Wrap each in waxed paper; refrigerate over night.

4. Roll each ball into a 1/4" circle the next day.

5. Spread the following over each circle:

1/4 C sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4C finely chopped nuts.

6. Cut each circle into 12-16 wedges. Roll each wedge toward small end.

7. Bake 350 or 18-20 minutes.

8. Remove and cool slightly. Drizzle glaze over warm pastries.

2 C confectioner's sugar

2 T cream

1 tsp. vanilla

YUM!

This is my favorite tea cup. It is marked "Bavaria Tirschenreuth" Theitilbury 4415
It is my favorite because the design is so very beautiful and feminine.

If you would like to see some more beautiful tea cups, go over to Lady Lydia.

A Hymn For The Lord's Day

I Am His, and He Is Mine

by George Wade Robinson 1838-1877

Loved with everlasting love

Led by grace that love to know:

Spirit, breathing from above,

Thou hast has taught me it is so!

Oh, this full and perfect peace!
Oh, this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease,

I am His, and He is mine.

Heav'n above is softer blue,

Earth around is sweeter green!
Something lives in every hue

Christless eyes have never seen:

Birds with gladder songs o'er-flow,

Flow'rs with deeper beauties shine,

Since I know, as now I know,

I am His, and He is mine.

Things that once were wild alarms

cannot now disturb my rest;

Closed in everlasting arms,

Pillowed on the loving breast.

Oh, to lie forever here,

Doubt, and care, and self resign,

While He whispers in my ear,

I am His, and He is mine.

His forever, only His;

Who the Lord and me shall part?

Ah, with what a rest of bliss

Christ can fill the loving heart!

Heav'n and earth may fade and flee,

First-born light in gloom decline;

But while God and I shall be,

I am His, and He is mine.