Meditating?

Have you ever noticed that whenever you spread out anything on a table or desk,  your cat thinks you placed it there just for him or her?  I think this is typical cat behavior, don't you? We don't own them; they own us. As I did my Bible study this morning, "Little Cat" aka "Helen" joined me. I am sure that she had a better understanding of the book of Ezekiel than do I. Can you see our other cat, Barney, standing in the background to the left? I am sure she is trying to figure out a way to come lay down on my Bible too. Oh well . . . It's nice to hear that contended purring sound.

Gertie, Nancy and the Dana Girls

 

Well, Gertie went with us to the Volunteer State. On the way home, we stopped at a favorite used book store. I found these two treasures for under $10. The Dana Girls are difficult to find, much less at the price of $3.00.  Gertie had a good time, but like the rest of us, was really glad to get home.  We encountered some snow and sleet coming over the mountain. Once we got on our side of the mountain, the weather seemed to calm down, but it is very windy and cold.  So good to be in the warm house with the dogs and cats.

A Sense of Accomplishment

 

Chuck Swindoll was once asked what was the best feeling in the world. He responded, "the feeling of accomplishment." Today we were able to get some things accomplished, and I agree with Pastor Swindoll. I know it is LUDICROUS to take pictures of our bathroom, but you just don't know how pleased I am to

1. Have it clean

2. Feel up to cleaning it!

Can you believe I have had that shower curtain over 15 years? It is still a marvel. The only think new in the pictures is my collection of VitaBath products on the second picture. This is a 70's product that never really left the market--it was just overshadowed by all of the newer bath and shower gels.

Thanks for indulging me!

Tomorrow, we will go see DH's family in the Volunteer State. 

Everything Old is New Again

We have a thrift store in town where I find marvelous treasures. This picture is of a shelf, new to me, that I found in the thrift store. DH surprised me Christmas Eve with it. I am working to try to get a better picture or two, but here you can see not only a bit of the shelf, but also a completed cross stitch picture that I found at the same store. It was only $5. I couldn't believe that price  given how much work went into it. I actually have the pattern--maybe I will get around to doing my own version of it someday. There's nothing I could do better than this crafter did, though. It is beautiful and adds a lot to the wall.

Some Old Friends

I love these covers. These are not the latest covers for these classics, nor are they the original covers. They represent the artwork of the 50's and early 60's.  Does one ever outgrow Nancy Drew? 

Still Lovely . . .

This beautiful arrangement has held up so well. Isn't it something else?

Mystery of the Found Author

I stumbled on a book I had bought years ago for DD in a bulk purchase from my favorite ebay children's book seller. I had put it away for DD to get a little older. Well, I came upon it the other night, and took it upstairs to read myself.  Phyllis A. Whitney's Mystery of the Haunted Pool (1960) is marvelous. And apparently, I am not the only one to think it so--the Mystery Writers of America voted it the best juvenile mystery in 1961! I had no idea until I started looking for information about Miss Whitney.  I have seen her name on lots of books in all of our book store treks, and I am surprised that I have never read one until now.

Miss Whitney was born to American parents who worked in Japan in 1903. She lived to the grand age of 104, passing away in 2008. I knew nothing about her, but found all kinds of interesting information at an official web site, www.phyllisawhitney.com   There, you can find a list of her publications of books for both young people and adults. I love the picture of her below; haven't we all typed on a typewriter just like that?

The weather is very cold and blustery outside our house--of course not nearly so bad as in many places in the country--just very nippy. This weather makes staying in with a good book all the much more a blessing. I think we are going to survive this flu thing. I think being inside home together another day with our good books will make us all feel better. 

You are good medicine, Miss Whitney!

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear . . .

Crayola Memories

Do you all remember this packaging of Crayola Crayons?  I thought this plastic box was the coolest thing ever, but my favorite size of crayons was the box of 48.  The 64 with the sharpener was almost too good to imagine. My teens are good enough to still color with me. When we have had a tough week, I declare, "time for a coloring party." We put on Adventures in Odyssey or something like that and color our fatigue and stress away! There's just something about the smell of the crayons and all the pretty colors--I have often thought that I like cross-stiching just because it is another form of coloring!

A 70's Christmas Retrospective

Oh my goodness! Who could forget the "Auto Cup"?  It was one of the more unsuccessful of my gifts for my mom. She always had a cup of coffee on her way into the office in the mornings, and I was sure that this would be the ticket!  The first day she used it was also the last day she used it; when she pushed the little lever to open the cup lid (very difficult to open, by the way) the coffee poured out all over her clothes. Today, someone would surely sue Mr. Popeil for having been scalded.

Moma had a much better spirit about the whole situation. The next year I wised up and gave her a crock pot (avocado green, of course).

P.S. DS1 howled with laughter at the boater speeding along with his Auto Cup. Wonder if he had his Popeil's Pocket Fisherman with him?

The Wind Around the Tower

I have been able to watch some tv the last few days, so I decided to watch the Murder, She Wrote episodes set in Ireland. They are great. I don't think they were actually filmed on the Emerald Isle, but I'm sure some "authentic" stock footage was used. These episodes are great not only for the setting, but because of the references to Miss Lansbury's own Irish heritage. Many of her family names are incorporated into the characters and dialog.  I guess my favorite of these episodes is "The Wind Around the Tower." It is from season 9. It has some truly eerie moments, but not too scary. I love this program--typically, the earlier seasons. The Irish episodes occur later on, "A Killing in Cork," "The Wond Around the Tower," "Another Killing in Cork," and a two-parter in the final season, "Nan's Ghost."  Do you have a favorite episode?

Make New Friends . . . .

Above and below you can see my new project. I stumbled on this Yarn Bee Hobby Lobby yarn a couple of weeks ago. It is too soft and lovely to describe. I started a granny square afghan for our home. I love the colors. Immediately below, you can see my friend, Gertie. I bought her at the Creation Museum, and DS2 named her for the character in the first animation short. She likes yarn crafts and just being with the family. 

But Keep the Old Ones . . .

Never fear, I am still working on the granny square afghan. I think I can finish the 33 squares left to go pretty shortly if I don't get distracted with the project above. There really is a different feel between the two types of yarn. Thank goodness, both are washable and can be thrown in the dryer!

A Little Christmas Cheer

Today I took my favorite pitcher to the florist and asked her to make me an arrangement around a rather modest price range. She outdid herself. Isn't this something else?  

Our Hope

The Golden Calf

This is a stock picture from the internet, but it says so very much.  In my second grade class, our precious, precious teacher was a Pastor's wife. She began every day with the Lord's prayer. Every week, Mrs. Lutrell would come by with her cart containing her flannel graph for our Bible story.  This would have been about 1969, seven years after the Supreme Court in its "wisdom" deemed prayer in public schools an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment's "separation of Church and state."  Nine old men were fooled by the Tempter's idol--this time not a golden calf, but a parchment document.  The Constitution has become our Baal, and as a nation, we worship it above all other gods.

I thank God for Mrs, Robinson and Mrs. Lutrell and the school administrators at that little school in central Florida. They feared God more than man. The tragedies in the news these days are not because of the accessibility of guns, but the inaccessibility of Christ Jesus in the life of our nation and our nation's children,

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me."
John 12:32

Pray Thee, quickly come.

I Hope this is Me Today!

Whew! The semester is finally over. This has been a whirlwind term--everyone has been so busy and stressed--not bad stress, but just the "tyranny of the urgent" as DH says. My house has suffered most; I'm sure not the best housekeeper in the world anyway . . . yikes!  The house is quiet (I'll tell you why in a minute), and I think I am going to start with the refrigerator. If my kitchen is clean, I feel like I'm off to a good start.

Our house is quiet because the kids have just gone to bed! Ha! They spent the day yesterday at the home of one of their homeschool group family's to watch all of the Lord of the Rings movies. Then, at midnight, they went to the showing of The Hobbit. After that, they all went to Waffle House (Dad was in on this one).  They came in so excited about it all. I love it when they have a good time with good friends. Dad went into the office to finish up some last paperwork, and I am left here with a quiet house and time to clean out the fridge!

Wishing you all a productive and happy day.

Go Fish!

This is the crunch time for all students and professors--final exams!  This has been a particularly busy season because of DS1's full time college schedule. The house is a complete wreck; my office at the college  and our school room at home are disasters, and there has been little time and even less motivation to get everything tidied.  Last night, DD decided to clean out the game closet while I was grading. We all had full tummies (breakfast for supper!), and DH, more exhausted than any of us, went to sleep, and I can't imagine how he was able to sleep with the all of the commotion of cleaning out the closet right outside our bedroom. She did a great job cleaning and straightening. She was astonished at all the games we had accumulated over the years. She asked when I would be through grading for the night. I had planned on grading until I was too sleepy to continue, but she talked me into quitting at 9:30 so we could play a game. To my surprise she picked out first a "Little Golden Books" set of cards (based on their characters) to play "Go Fish." We had a great time asking for the cards: "give me all your Tawny Scrawny Lions." Haha!  I thought she had probably had enough, but she wanted to play Go Fish with some regular cards and we played until almost 11:00. I know that when the Lord calls me home and asks me about my life, I will tell Him how grateful I am for times like these. They are based on a wealth, an abundance that He provides.  The "abundant life" he longs to give us is in the everyday joys He opens our eyes to seeing. Today, the boys walked into my classroom to tell me they were going up to the Library; I can't tell you how happy just seeing them made me. I have lots of grading left to do, but maybe I can talk them into a game of "Go Fish" later on, too!

My Baby Girl, A Great Day and 007

My Baby Girl turned 14 yesterday. I always tell her the day she was born was the best day of my life--but there were three better days-the days that each of the children asked Jesus into their hearts. I am grateful for our children and their tender, loving hearts.

DD had a great birthday weekend. Saturday, she wanted to go to Golden Corral so everyone could "graze" before doing a little shopping with her birthday money. She made wise choices and made the money count. We were going to go into the American Girl Store, but they were so full, there was a line to get in at all!

Of course, we went to Hobby Lobby.  If we can find the camera, I will post some pictures soon of our purchases. They always have something on a really good sale. We loved being in there. We bought her a new outfit for Church. The world has declared war on our girls, and finding modest clothes at modest prices is not easy. We found a BEAUTIFUL two piece skirt and top.  She loved it saying she thought it made her look like Nancy Drew (a high compliment from either of us).

The boys were able to go to their favorite place in the world, The Apple Store. We can't afford anything in there, but they love the feeling of the store. They are such good sports about everything. DS2 is great at voice impressions--the latest is Sean Connery, and he is really good at that one. I never know when Mr. Connery is going to pop up in the conversation. He is so funny.

Yesterday at Church, DH and DD sang the beautiful song, "Mary, Did You Know?'  DD has been playing it on the piano about 22 out of every 24 hours. It was beautiful.  We had our Church Christmas dinner after the service, and it was wonderful. I always think those moments offer glimpses of eternity with Christ.

We did not have services last night so we were able to come home and eat a leisurely supper and watch tv. We watched Star Trek IV:  the Voyage Home.  I loved hearing everyone laugh out loud.  We're ready for Monday . . . I hope.

Rosy Memories

How many of you remember this lovely product? It is still around today, but hard to come by, and the milk bottle look is gone. I always lovingly associate this product with Norma Zimmer and the Lawrence Welk Show. I miss that type of programming so much. The beautiful dresses, the music, and the personalities we grew to know and love.

Was there a voice lovelier than Norma's? If you get a chance to read her autobiography or any of Mr. Welk's, they are worth your time. They are inspirational, positive and Christ-honoring, particularly Norma Zimmer's.

Our culture would be so much better off today with an hour of this type of programming. This is my favorite kind of "reality" tv.

"Good night,

sleep tight

and pleasant dreams to you . . ."

Christmas at the Ponderosa and At Our House

Years ago, I happened upon this CD in a Kroger Christmas CD display. It has been a mainstay of our holidays ever since.  The kids have memorized it by now, and they just don't think Christmas is on the calender unless they hear the Cartwrights singing.  They can all sing well, especially "Adam" (Pernell Roberts).

Do you  remember how stores and gas stations used to give out beautiful record albums at Christmas, usually featuring a wide variety of the most popular singers' renditions of the Season's songs?  Julie Andrews, Robert  Goulet, Steve and Eydie, Perry Como . . .     My parents had a nice collection of those records--usually from the gas station or Radio Shack.

Do you have a favorite Christmas album, old or new?

Rich or Poor?

Many in this nation are struggling financially this Christmas season, but even so, we are so very prosperous with regard to material wealth compared to many others in the world. But what truly defines prosperity, wealth and success? Is it a loaded bank account? A new car? A prestigious job? How about lots of milk and bread in the house? A jar of oil? A title? A good report from the doctor? Are these our aspirations?

This season, think about the Beautiful Star of Bethlehem.  It pointed the way to the most humble birth--the King of Kings born in the poorest of physical circumstances.  But, oh what a King!. He teaches us the meaning of true wealth:  love, kindness, freedom from the heavy burden of our sins, a moral compass to guide us, a Father's hand to hold us--are we not wealthy beyond a ledger's ability to tally?

My Old Friends

What in the wold is Mary Kay thinking? I have loved Mary Kay for years, and even sold it a very short time. They used to have the loveliest line of fragrances, but they're all gone now. I understand marketing for a younger crowd, but why toss out the rest of us?  On a positive note, I do have these dear old friends as you can see from my picture.  I also remember the wonderful Avon fragrances of the 60's and 70's:  Sonnet, Moonwind, Bird of Paradise, Field Flowers, Cotillion and Topaz, to name a few. I always thought that the Topaz was so neat because the jar with the scented cream had a little Topaz-colored jewel in the lid! They have kept the perennial favorite, Sweet Honesty..  I have some!  Fragrant Memories!

Love in a 3-qt Pyrex Dish

This is a crazy week at our house, and I thought that maybe a nice, hot lunch would make the day a little kinder. The main dish is a Bisquick chicken pot pie. The tea is flavored with an orange and clove tea blend with the orange garnish for a little more pizzazz. I think everyone feels a little better about getting all that school work done today . . .

What I Really Want for Christmas . . .

Is a CLEAN HOUSE!  And this is a gift I would happily give myself. I just want the time to get everything clean--even the windows and screens. With the busyness of the Season and the close of the school semester, there seems to be little time for any real housework. Today, I am working from home, and I do have the day to work on the boys' laundry. That will make us all feel better!

Aren't these pretty? I found these in the store the other day, and bought the pink one. I love the scent of the traditional green Palmolive and have used it for probably over 20 years. I think when my pink stuff runs out, I will just refill the beautiful little bottle with it. The lemon would match my kitchen best, so I may try one of those.

Isn't it nice that the marketers know that there are still some of us who appreciate something pretty?

Waiting for Muffins . . .

Do you all remember this wonderful show? As I wait for our Sunday morning muffins to finish baking, thought I would share some thoughts about this great show.  Emergency!  was the show in the mid 70's when I was in school.  It came on Saturday nights at 8:00, and all of the kids would talk about it on Monday mornings.  My parents chose to watch All in the Family and the CBS line up of comedies.  Even on rerun nights, they didn't want to watch Emergency!  I really felt that I was missing something! Haha! One year, they enrolled me in a creative writing class outside of school time; one of the students from another school wrote every assignment about "Johnny"--Randolph Mantooth. I wonder if she ever got over that fascination with him?!

Anyway, our kids love it. We watch it whenever we can, and in fact have purchased over the last few years, the DVD seasons.  They are much less expensive now than they were when they first hit the market. Last night, Dad fixed our favorite Saturday night supper, hamburgers, fries and hot dogs --and apple pie, courtesy of Sarah Lee.  I ended up walking the dogs at the end of the episode, and missed the last crisis.  I asked DS1 this morning about the "end of the show explosion." We both laughed! The show always seems to have a terrific explosion and/or fire at the end of each show. Sure enough, there was one this time, too!

Well, time to check the muffins and get the clothes ready for everyone. Hope you all have a blessed Sunday!

I was thinking how funny it would be to look for one for my older teens for Christmas! Shoot! I'll look for one for me!

Beautiful Christmas Music

For many years, we have listened to the Bible Broadcasting Network--in fact, since 1986! Wow! For over half of my 50 years, BBN has been a good friend to me and my family.  When we lived in the mid-west, I couldn't get BBN , and even where we live in the SE now, we are in one of the few places where there is not a traditional station within range of our radio. HOWEVER, for several years now, we have been able to listen on the internet.

Every December 1st, the network begins its lovely Christian Christmas music; they continue their programming, but during the interludes of music, the music is some of the prettiest you will hear all season.
BBN has meant the world to me over the years.  I know for a fact that it brought me closer to the Lord during my years in graduate school. I was saved, but at best, a lukewarm Christian.  The programming on at that time, Chuck Swindoll, Back to the Bible with Dr. Warren Weirsbe, Thru the Bible with Dr. J Vernon McGee, and John MacArthur's Grace to You program. In those days, I had a Sony Walkman (remember those?), and it would be tuned to 90.5  WYFB. My day was more or less defined by what I could listen to. At lunch time, I would take my crackers and peanut butter and Chek cola (from Winn Dixie) and sit and listen to "Christian Classics." This was a program (which is still on) where a Christian book is read in 15-minute installments from beginning to end. The reader, Lynn Brooks, is so good at what she does.

All of this is a pretty nerdy look back, but it is also an encouragement for you to try BBN this Christmas. All of us need encouragement during this busy season.