year's end

another photo borrowed from either Tim or Luke

There. Just finished reading the last pages of Revelation. Thankful for another year spent in the Word. Thankful for the ability and the freedom to pull out one of my many Bibles and sit on my extremely comfortable couch and read.

When we were at Nate and Michelle's I was generally the first one up, closely followed by Joshua. One morning in particular, Kristi, Josh and I sat at the breakfast table together.

I was sipping on my tea and Kristi had prepared oatmeal for the two of them. Joshua looked at her expectantly, than held out his hands - one to me, the other to her.

For you see, this faithful family prays before they eat. And they hold hands as they join together in to thank God for their food. A habit already established in this little 20 month old boy.

Grandma closed her eyes and prayed too - thankful for so much more than just the food before us.

all is calm, all is bright

picture by either my nephew Luke or brother-in-law Tim

The lights in the church were dim. A string quartet accompanied by piano and guitar softly played carols as we entered the sanctuary.

We filed into a row of chairs and though we didn't plan it, I smiled as I noted that we were sitting together in chronological order.

We stood to sing and my heart was full as I heard the wonderful voices of my husband and sons singing 'Gloria, in excelsis Deo'.

Candles were lit and I looked at the faces of each of these handsome dear ones.

During communion, always a time of reflection, my thoughts were again those of gratitude.

As if it weren't enough that God sent His Son...

As if it weren't enough that Christ died for our sins...

As if it weren't enough that He defeated death and rose again....

He has given me this wonderful, wonderful family.

It is enough.

And so much more than I could have asked for or imagined.

Heavenly Peace.

legacy

last year's Christmas picture...
still waiting for someone to post this year's pictures on facebook so I can 'borrow' them

Dad turned 80 on December 20th. After an especially rough summer with dual hospitalizations, surgery and infection, (not to mention his diabetes and pace maker), we are especially grateful that he has reached this milestone.

As many of us gathered together as could. Pat and I are already in place. Lori and Richard drove down from Illinois. Tim, Suzi, Luke, Mark and Christina from Minne'snow'ta, Roger, Derek, Ethan and Emilee from near Nashville. And one of Tim and Suzi's former foreign exchange students, Carla the cutie, came all the way from Bolivia!

I baked several dozen muffins contacted Mom and Dad's Sunday School teacher to let them know about the special day. They presented Dad with a beautiful leather cross. His children and 7/10ths of his grandchildren were present through Sunday School and church. Mom and Dad had big smiles on their faces all morning.

The rest of the day was spent at the folks' house. We ate; we laughed. Some snuck in a nap. We ate some more.

I think I can speak for Dad when I say that he had a wonderful birthday. Surrounded by noisy children and grandchildren. And his beloved wife of 56 years. Oh yeah, and Kimmee Sue the wonder dog.

Dad has given us quite a legacy. At 80 he still walks three miles nearly every day at a very brisk clip. Throughout his working career, he was always up for adventure - willing to move and go and try new things. Then once the nest was empty he and mom signed up to work abroad...Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Romania, Brazil, Jamaica.

Upon retirement they didn't stop traveling but went on several mission trips. Each summer they took, first a fifth wheeler, then a diesel semi thingy (can't remember what you call their second 'camper') then a motor home across this great land of ours several times.

AND...yesterday Dad signed up for facebook!

Mom and Dad are pretty remarkable people. I wish you could know them. They have left us quite a legacy of love for the LORD, service and adventure.

We, in turn, try to follow Exodus 20:12:

"Honor your father and your mother,
so that you may live long in the land the LORD you GOD is giving you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And if you think we had a tough time traveling to and fro over Christmas you should read my sister's adventure!

snowy, with 100% chance of cancellation

My cell phone rang as we stood in line at the ticket counter last Tuesday at McGhee Tyson airport.

"We're sorry." said the automated call.
"Your flight has been cancelled."

Which was just what we had been told as we stood in line to check our baggage. But American Airlines customer service was wonderful and they booked us on a United flight to Chicago. Which was promptly delayed. Yes, an oxymoron.

Similarly, on our return trip to Tennessee, though we faithfully checked websites and Michelle even called the airline to make sure our flight was not cancelled (the weather outside was frightful), the flight was cancelled.

"We're sorry." said the automated call.
"Your flight has been cancelled."

We were halfway to the airport when we received this call. As Nate drove us through slushy, snowy bad conditions, I made calls from the back seat to rebook our flight. Success! Then a few minutes later American called and told us they had us booked on a flight for Sunday morning. So, we had two possible flights out.

We told Nate to keep heading toward the airport, though we would have to wait for hours for the next flight. We lunched at O'Hare and watched the departure board as flight after flight was cancelled.

In the meantime, I read one of my (requested) Christmas presents John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life." I did not miss the irony of reading this book as I waited. And waited. I love God's sense of humor.

We finally boarded our plane only to be informed that the pilot had not yet arrived so there would be a brief wait. After 30 minutes, the deplaned us since they had to scrounge up another pilot (comforting). After another 30 minutes we were back on the plane with the scrounged up pilot (he happened to be quite capable). Arrived at home quite late Saturday night.

I have flown quite a bit this year. Not one cancellation.

For the first time in our 36 year marriage, Pat and I flew together. Cancellations and delays. Hmm....

We are grateful to be home, but even more grateful for a wonderful time with our family.

More to come.....

anticipation builds

A week from today is Christmas. Are you ready?

Today my sisters and their families begin their trek to SE Tennessee. The weather outlook is not great so we would appreciate your prayers for all our road warriors.

Lord willing, they will be here tomorrow and the celebration begins!

First celebration: Dad's 80th birthday on Sunday. 80 is a pretty big number and it represents a lot of life lived - well and adventurously. The places Dad has been and the things he has done! Sure wish he would write a book.

I sit with Mom and Dad each morning as they eat breakfast. They still defer to each other - 'you go first, no you'. Dad blesses the meal, with gratitude. Always praying for his far-flung family.

After the rough summer Dad had, we are especially grateful that he is here with us. It will be so much fun to celebrate his life together. I am sure it will be a blessing to him to have all his children around him and many of his grandchildren.

Then Pat and I fly off to Illinois. To gather with all our children and grandchild(ren) (Do you see the grandbaby countdown in the sidebar?) What a blessing that will be. I am so looking forward to seeing all of them.

I am hopeful that we will attend a Christmas Eve service together and stand shoulder to shoulder as we sing,

"O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the LORD!"

heilige nacht

Have a blessed Christmas everyone. Lord willing, I'll be back to blogging on December 28.

rejoice!

This morning's reading was the book of Philippians. Four chapters long - packed with joy and hope. Paul addresses problems too, but in the midst of trouble, misinformation, misunderstanding and persecution there is JOY.

The angel told the shepherds - "I bring you glad tidings of great joy!"

It is fitting during this week before Christmas to reflect on joy.

These passages from Philippians chapter 4 remind us of the reason and the foundation of our joy:

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

¹⁰I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

¹⁴Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. ¹⁵Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; ¹⁶for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. ¹⁷Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. ¹⁸I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Love this passage. Is it possible to remain down in the mouth when you read, really read and ponder these words? I don't think so!
~~~~~~

All the sewing is done, bags are partially packed for our flight to Illinois on Tuesday. I purchased THE RIGHT KIND OF FLOUR yesterday (in my defense, most of the flour on the shelf was self-rising - I had to search long and hard for 'regular unbleached flour') and am ready to resume baking. The dust bunnies multiplied while I was occupied at the sewing machine, so I will be doing battle with them today.

Mom, Dad and I are headed to the grocery store soon to gather in food for the hordes approaching from the north. It is time to put the final touches on everything and get ready to celebrate.

REJOICE!!

flour power

Last week, I made a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up a few things. I noticed flour was on sale, so I deposited a five pound bag in my shopping tote.

Yesterday, after a very productive morning, I decided to do some baking. My new plan, rather than store baked goods in our freezer where they are in easy reach, was to take the baked goods down to Mom and Dad's freezer. They, being more, ahem, mature, are more self-disciplined than the people who live in this house.

I prepared two loaves of cranberry bread and popped them into the oven; then decided that as long as the kitchen was still messed up and the oven was hot I would make a pan of brownies.

In a few minutes I slid the brownies on the rack below the bread.

Timer set, I went on to my next project. About ten minutes later, I thought I smelled something burning. Impossible, I thought. The bread had at least a half hour to go - the brownies were only half way through their baking time.

I was dismayed when I opened the oven. The bread had oozed over the tops of the pans and spilled onto the brownies below as well as the oven floor.

After removing the messy, overflowing pans, I chipped away at the burned dough at the bottom of the oven.

Pat gamely tried the bread but when I heard the words 'too salty' and 'bitter after taste', I knew my baking was beyond salvaging.

The problem? I dug the empty flour bag out of the garbage and now noticed what I had not noticed before. The 'sale' flour was self-rising flour. To which I added baking soda and baking powder. Recipe for disaster.

Live and learn. Nice to know that at the ripe old age of 55 I can still learn things, huh?

But thankfully, the day was not a total loss. I finished the stockings for the grandbabes:

click to enlarge

The picture (they are hung on great-grandma's rocker) doesn't do them justice. I loved doing them and I loved how they turned out. And I am sorely tempted to keep them. Does that make me a bad grandma?

They were pretty labor intensive, the heels and the toes are quilted in a grid pattern. I made the bias binding with the instructions given in Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing Book. (This kind of explains the process - be sure to read to the end) I think I have a new hobby - bias binding making. Great fun and the custom bindings add charm and character that you just don't get from the pre-packaged stuff.

And bias bindings don't blow up in the oven.
~~~~~
The rest of the self-rising flour? Shall be redeemed.

worlds apart

I am just about done stitching up the stockings for the grandchildren. What fun that has been - a labor of love. Pictures tomorrow.

Some of the stitching (there is a fair amount of hand quilting on these) was done sitting in a sewing rocker that originally belonged to Pat's great-grandma. As I sat there stitching Christmas stockings for her great-great-great-grandchildren, I marveled at how the world has changed since her time.

Her days would have been filled with labor intensive activity. Sewing clothes for the family. Cooking from scratch. Laundry consumed the better part of one day. No hopping in the car to run errands, no clicking away at the computer to shop or surf. I pondered these thoughts as I stitched and wondered at what the world might be like when Joshua and his siblings are all grown. Should the LORD tarry.

And if those differences seem stark, just think what it must have been like for Jesus to leave the 'splendors of heaven' to step into our world, into a smelly, dark stable. He who knew the riches of heaven left it for poverty. He who was worshipped by angels became limited by swaddling clothes. The Creator of the universe had to depend on others to have His needs met.

He left the splendor of heaven,
Knowing His destiny
Was a lonely hill on Golgotha
Where He laid down His life for me.
If that isn't love...
(words and music by Dottie Rambo)

A true labor of love.

planning ahead

I love to plan. Planning trips, Christmas programs, Camp Nesbit, - you name it - I'm a planner. That is one thing I loved about teaching (besides the kids, of course). Back a few lifetimes ago when I was a public school teacher, we were required to have our lesson plans for the following week turned in on Friday afternoon.

So, Friday after the kids left, I would spread out the math, reading, science, social studies, etc. curricula before me and begin filling in the impossibly small boxes allotted for each hour of each day for the next week.

Sometimes we actually accomplished what I had planned - sometimes not.

Fast forward to today and nothing has really changed. Sometimes I accomplish what I planned and sometimes I don't. But that never stops me from planning.

I have been busy baking and putting things in the freezer in anticipation of the arrival of siblings and nieces and nephews this weekend. This plan has had mixed results. I am quite sure I baked one batch of cookies, two loaves of cranberry bread, and a pan of brownies. The cookies seem to have disappeared as has one loaf of bread. Hmmm....Maybe I should put 'self-control' on my list. :)

I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of all our company and the opportunity shortly thereafter to be company ourselves. We are headed to Nathan and Michelle's for Christmas where we will be joined by Daniel, Jon, Kristi and Josh. Oodles of plans in anticipation of both events.

All the plans that I have made, however, pale in comparison to The Plan.

" In the fullness of time, God sent His Son...."
Galatians 4:4

That marvelous plan changed my life. Yours?

Thirty!?!?!?!?

Back when I was in my twenties, I remember feeling so sorry for a friend of mine who told me her daughter had just turned 40. First of all, being 40 seemed so old and so far away and secondly having a 40 year old child made my friend seem practically ancient. Something I was surprised she would actually admit.

Now I know better.

Tomorrow our first born turns 30. 30!!!! How can it possibly have been 30 years since the doctor placed that 8 pound 12 ounce bundle in my arms?

Warning- mushy talk ahead:

Nathan is kind, smart, handsome, funny, talented and dedicated. A hard worker. Forward thinker. His name means 'gift of God' and he certainly is. We learned how to be parents at his expense, but God graciously forgave our mistakes and entrusted us with this remarkable young man (followed by two more!).

Life has not always been easy for Nate, but he has persevered and followed God's Word in spite (because ?) of the struggles.

He is quiet and reserved and you will not always know what he is thinking. But you will always know that he is thinking.

I remember one exchange that took place when he was in high school. He wanted to go hang out with some kids and I knew some things about these kids. I told him 'no'. He wanted an explanation and I could not give him a satisfactory one because what I 'knew' about these kids was based on hearsay. But that still small voice was telling me not to let him go.

So, I told him no and stuck with it. He told me, in a very calm voice, "I'm tempted to get angry with you."

I have to tell you, I was so impressed by that. He did not holler at me or storm off or question my authority or go out behind my back. He realized that what he was struggling with was the temptation to be angry and he mastered it.

So like him.

Whenever I read this verse, I think of Nathan:

Better a patient man than a warrior,
a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.
Proverbs 16:32

Happy Birthday tomorrow Nathan. You continue to impress and amaze your parents. We are counting the days (10...) until we see you! Love you!

away

My computer is sick. So it is going to the computer hospital for a 'bit'. I will 'monitor' the situation. Blog posts will be sporadic (tho' look for a special one on Saturday) as I will be blogging on borrowed computers.

But don't worry, I'll keep busy. Working on some Christmas stockings for the grands and baking for the hoards (good hoards, not marauding hoards) of company that will be arriving in 11 days!

I'll leave you with the words the pastor spoke on Sunday:

CHOOSE JOY!

(and enjoy this laugh)

note to self: iron these

crowded

the snow is gone now but we enjoyed how it covered our little 'forest'

The trees (only 2 and they are little) are up and decorated, some baking was started for the arrival of family in a few weeks, ornaments were made for the exchange at Bible study. I still need to decorate the mantel and put away the boxes. Busy, productive weekend.

I spent some time Saturday night looking through our check register, in preparation for end of the year giving. Over and over I could see God's hand of provision. We never had too much, but we always had enough. And that with a wedding, college tuition, multiple plane rides and doctor bills.

"We can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him."
C.S. Lewis

So true. Even our checkbook was crowded with God' s abundant provision.

Three little, older ladies in front of us in church yesterday were praising the LORD with all their hearts. So inspiring. The pastor's message helped us envision the glorious event of angels bursting through the curtains of heaven to make a fantastic birth announcement.

May you continually bump into God's Presence today.

~~~~~
On another note (pun intended), I think this would be my dream job.

snow!

snowses on the roses

The weatherman was predicting accumulations in the mountains, but not here in the valley.

So, this was a nice surprise this morning when I ventured out to walk. Two hours later it is still snowing.

We plan to put up our Christmas decorations today, so this is perfect timing.

A steamy mug of hot chocolate, Christmas music playing in the background, unpacking boxes filled with memories, snow outside. A perfect Saturday!

Merry Christmas!

mo(u)rning thoughts

the roses bloom still on December 4th - and no Japanese beetles!

I'm trying to be more intentional about what I think about on my morning walk. It is easy to let my mind wander - sometimes that can be productive; sometimes not.

This morning I was meditating on the word Immanuel. Which means 'God with us'. Wow. Even 45 minutes of pondering this thought doesn't do justice to the reality of God being with us. Which is what Christmas is all about, by the way.

There is a sweet older lady in our Bible study. Her husband died in September. A few weeks later her nephew committed suicide. This week her son died of cancer after only being diagnosed two weeks ago.

My heart hurts for her. I pray that she experiences the Presence of Immanuel as she grieves.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
II Corinthians 1:3-4

works in progress

I'm working on some handmade ornaments for an exchange at Bible study next week. As I cut and snip and stitch and do-over, I think of what a work in progress I am.

I am not singing in the cantata this year. Our small group is singing one song on December 27. We rehearsed last night, and as the gals were talking about the beauty and difficulty of the cantata, I was tempted to wallow in a little bit of self-pity. One of my favorite 'jobs' ever, was directing the choir. Second, would be singing in the choir.

And that is simply not possible now for a variety of reasons.

So, I made a conscious choice to thank God for all those wonderful times of choir, as well as ask Him to show me how I might best serve Him now.

However, were you to drive by my house and should you happen to peek in the window, you might see me waving my arms, directing an imaginary choir.

I am still a work in progress.

gate crashers

that's North Carolina over there

Yesterday was the last day of our Bible study 'One in a Million' by Priscilla Shirer. Customarily we go out to lunch after the last session. Unfortunately our favorite little coffee/quiche spot closed its doors recently. So one of the gals invited us to her home.

She did not give us directions to her house, she simply said , "Let's meet up at Rose's Well Drilling and we will go from there." She lives in our town's one and only gated community. The plan was we would all follow her through the gate. I choose to ride with 2 gals who had lived here all their lives along with another who had lived here for 40 years. They were all confident they knew the way.

Not.

When we got to Rose's Well Drilling (not Bob's as one of the gals insisted), no one was there. We did not have any cell phone numbers of anyone in the other cars, which was not a big deal as there was no reception anyway.

After several wrong turns, we finally arrived at the gate.

"Who goes there?" said the gatekeeper.

Okay, he didn't really say that, but he wanted to know where we were going and why. "We are part of a Bible study group and we are going to ____for a luncheon. " explained our spokeswoman.

"Well, you look harmless enough," he replied and let us through. Yes, he really did say that. With a smile.

We drove up and up and up the mountain. M.'s house was the second from the top. It was gorgeous.

We had a good laugh about our tardiness and thoroughly enjoyed our time. I got a real taste of southern hospitality. The best cornbread I've ever had. Great laughs, very nice ladies.

A view from M's. deck all the way to North Carolina. And some great memories.

link on

No time to upload pics or write anything this morning...I need to get out the door pretty soon.


But here are a few interesting links for your perusal:

If you are interested in seeing what other people's pantries look like, check this one out!

Read Jenilyn's sweet post.

And of course, this site always provides plenty of crafty inspiration. (Although, I do not understand the fascination with Twilight...)

Happy December, everyone!