Monthly Archives: April 2011

A Chapter Out Of My Life

A John Deere lawn mower in a Finnish garden.

Image via Wikipedia

It’s Saturday.

I took Lonnie dog for a walk,

He and Ace, the outside dog, got into it. Fur flying. Over nothing. Both males. Go figure.

I was having none of it. They both got that I was mad at them. Bad boys. Go sulk.

They are fine. Like 2 year olds.

My husband is mowing the yard on the one non rainy day we’ve had in forever.

I was outside picking debris out of the yard. Amazing what what can find after having winds in excess of 60mph this past week. Just sayin’.

The outside cat, Salem, wanted me to pet her. I did. She is not declawed.

She got her claws caught on my clothing. She panicked. I panicked…because she had her claws on me.

She hissed. I yelled, “stop it”. She didn’t.

Ouch.

We finally got disentangled. Two girls screaming in the front yard. But only one of us with claws. Not fair.

She went and laid down on the porch. Away from me.

I was thinking I should go inside, when my husband went zipping by on the lawnmower.

He is The Grass Geru. Lord of the Lawn. Mower Master. Okay….I digress.

Anyway, the tire of the lawnmower caught a rock and it shot up and hit our outdoor flood light. Well, it pretty much exploded.

Where I was standing.

Glass flew everywhere.

For the love of pete! At least it hit the light and not me.

I again resumed picking up debris. This time it was glass.

All the exploding excitement got the dogs to barking. Again.

That’s it.

I went inside. It’s dangerous out there!

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Weddings and Other Royal Things

Kate and Wills

Image by JeanM1 via Flickr

Okay, people…I didn’t get up at 4 am. I got up at 5:45 instead. I started watching when Catherine was riding in the car to the church. She looked beautiful.

Some people say, “Why the big hoopla about a wedding, across the ocean?” Because. Just because.

Because weddings are fun to watch.

Because there is tradition in a royal wedding.

Because I believe Kate and William really love each other.

Because it is fun.

Because it is like watching a story book wedding…come true.

So, yes.

I was up. I watched. I smiled. I enjoyed it.

It was a break from the normal day, to witness a special moment in time.

I watched Williams mother and father marry in 1981.

I was just 13 years old at the time, but I remember it.

I was up early that morning too.

Although, I am quite a bit older now…and this early morning event might call for a late afternoon nap.

Maybe for the next royal wedding, we could try for a late afternoon wedding? Say, around 4’ish?

It’s just a thought.

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Photos Tell The Story

Bonnie, at Faith Barista, asked her readers to tell what brings us joy. She wanted us to use photos to tell our joy story. I am all over this assignment!

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Family and friends bring me the most joy. Hands down, no doubt about it. I didn’t think the people in my life would want their  pictures posted on my blog for the entire world to see, so I’m just saying it…instead of showing it.


Warm light. It makes me feel cozy.

The eucharisteo board that I have in the kitchen.

It reminds me to be thankful in all things.

When I look at the board I feel blessed.

Lonnie, the terrier extraordinaire, makes me happy. I just love him.

This is the kitchen door, that I refused to part with, when we moved. It has the heights of the children marked on it. It is a time capsule, and I enjoy looking at it (and also still marking the heights of my teenagers). It is currently an “objet d’ art” setting in the entry way at our new house.

This is my Bible. I’ve had this particular one for 15 years. It’s filled with notes and highlights. I refuse to quit using it, even though it is falling apart. I will just continue to tuck in the books of James and Hebrews that have come loose. I need to look into book binding.

Umm……Just a few of the books in my library. Books bring me a great deal of joy. I should have been a librarian. 🙂

Aaahhhh….bed. Comfort. Cozy. Vintage linens. Rest.

Yes, those are dandelions in our yard. I couldn’t help but feel joyful when I pulled into the driveway this morning. The green spring grass with the pops of yellow. It just looked pretty…even if they are weeds.

This was my view this afternoon. It is a joy to live in the country. I get to appreciate God‘s handiwork up close.

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Living Out What Easter Means

The Greatest Promise of God

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live.”  John 11:25

How many of us have stood over a casket, looking down at one we loved?

Tears leaking down our cheeks…already missing the one that is gone.

The body so still. The breath has ceased. The lids now closed.

Burial. In the ground. Dirt covered.

And we weep.

And yet…

Jesus‘ words ring out in the darkness. The darkness of hopelessness. The darkness of fear. The darkness of death.

I am the resurrection.

and the life.  Alive again. Living. Breathing. In glory.

Jesus saith unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

He who believes in me, though he dies,

yet shall he live. Shall live. With Him. Forever. Real. Oh, so real.

No more heart hurt, no more rampant cancer, no more diseased body, no more accidents, no more shallow breathing, no more depression, no more pain, no more poor vision, no more sickness…

No more.

Believe in Me, Jesus whispers to our souls.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him, shall have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Jesus says,

I have conquered death. I have taken your place.

It is finished. Words that echo through the ages.

How is Easter real to you? Not only on a Sunday in April…but, all year long?

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Don’ts For Girls–A Manual Of Mistakes

A mother plays the guitar while her two daught...

Image via Wikipedia

This past Saturday, my daughter and I went to do some antique shopping in Mount Victory, Ohio. I love this type of thing, and can “get lost” for hours, if left to my own devices. I collect antique books. Most of my books are school books from the turn of the last century. On this particular trip I came across an interesting little book called Don’ts For Girls-A Manual Of Mistakes, written by one Miss Minna Thomas Antrim. The book was copyrighted in Philadelphia by the Henry Altemus Company in 1902. From the inscription in the front cover of the book it was given as a Christmas present in the year 1907. When I see inscriptions such as this, I often wonder what the young lady that received this book looked like, or acted like? Obviously, her parents wished for her to be a proper young lady.

This small, hardback book is packed with little nuggets of wisdom, along with some statements that make me giggle. Some of these verses are so foreign to me, being that I was born in 1968–and by that era, times were most definitely different! In my mind and imagination, I picture a twelve year old girl, on the verge of young womanhood…one from a proper Victorian family. On Christmas morning she opened this gift from her parents, and vowed to read the book from cover to cover.

As she gently opened the book and turned to the first page, this is what she read…

*Don’t be ashamed of your parents. They may be unlearned and dull, but they gave you the chance to become what you are. Honor them before all men.  ( I read this to my daughter, and she laughed. I do not wish for her to believe that her daddy and I are unlearned and dull, though I do like the honor part.)

* Don’t neglect little deeds, while dreaming of great ones.

* Don’t be a prig. Girls who are never a little foolish, are always deadly dull. (I like the word prig. I think I might start using that. Can I bring the word, prig, back?)

*Don’t chatter. Babbling is baneful. Gigglers should be punished by solitary confinement. (If one is going to giggle, do it in private!)

* Don’t regulate your behavior by geography. Be as modest at the sea shore as at home. ( I love this one. Anyone that has been to the beach lately knows, that some young ladies need to be more modest–allowing everything to hang out is not pleasant for us that are forced to watch.)

* Don’t be good because you must, but because you should. ( Amen. Enough said.)

* Don’t be anxious to get “in the swim.” Many drown there. (Many of our young people today, still have this problem. Following one’s peers can prove deadly.)

*Don’t fail to lock the family skeleton securely in the closet when guests are expected. ( Doesn’t this crack you up? I bet a lot of Victorian closets were bursting with bones…but, the key to the closet was kept cleverly hidden:)

* Don’t go anywhere with a young man alone. Convention admits no exception of this rule. ( That would save a lot of heartache, wouldn’t it? 🙂

* Don’t listen to anything revolting. There are things in life that should never be made known to a sensitive girl. ( A young Victorian girl would never make it watching the news these days. Or any TV. Or any movies. Or most books. Or…or….or…..)

The book ends with this last page.

* Don’t begin the day with a sigh, or you may end with a downpour.

* Don’t lament because your neighbor’s garden surpasses yours. Keep hoeing. ( I love this one in particular. Plenty of people in our entitlement society, need to read this.)

And last but certainly not least…

* Don’t fuss. If things never went wrong who’d long for heaven? (Amen, to that.)

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief look into the beginning of the last century. It’s always fun to look back…

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All Thanks, Big and Small

the cloud and the rays of light

Image by bernat... via Flickr

Here I sit at my kitchen counter…on yet another Monday morning. A morning that is gray and rainy…again. It seems like the rain is here to stay this Spring. Even though the day outside is wet and drizzly, I have so much for which to be thankful. The light of yesterday breaks through the gray of today. Light shining into this world…light that changed the world forever.

Mondays are always a rough day for me, and yet these days are part of Multitudes On Mondays. A reminder to me and to everyone, that there is always much to be thankful for…in all things big and small. Life truly is a gift.

* Safe travel for my sons as they traveled with friends.

* Time spent with my daughter.

* Discovering that old is new again

* Laughing together

* Quietly working in the kitchen

* Family

* Knowing the TRUTH

* Chocolate peanut butter icecream

* Love

* Conversations with sons

* Helpful daughter

* A husband who is there for me

* Time to just breathe

* Groceries in the pantry

* Cold tea

* Beautiful clouds

* Rain

* An old, rugged cross

* Blood covered

* “It is finished”

* An empty tomb

* A Savior lives

*Redemption

* A promise that He will come again as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Amen and Hallelujah!

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Saturday Morning

Downtown Mount Victory

Image via Wikipedia

I’m reading a decorating magazine, writing in my eucharisteo journal, and drinking a mug of coffee. I’m also watching the news. The sun is actually shining this morning, before the rain returns later in the day.

It’s a quiet morning.

I have much to be thankful for, on this day before Easter.

My daughter wants to go to Mount Victory. To check out the shops.

Maybe we will.

Saturdays are good.

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Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Red Barn and Blue Sky

Image by cindy47452 via Flickr

Good Morning, so glad you came to visit. I love having company. Would you like a mug of coffee on this chilly, gray day? Yes? Just pull up a stool at the kitchen counter. Let’s talk……

I really enjoy getting to know my “bloggy” friends. I know that if we all lived closer together, this scene really would take place. I have readers from all over the world and we are each different…yet, we have so many characteristics that are the same. Many people think that the internet is “evil”…and let’s face it, it can be if that is what one is looking for. I choose to use the internet to “talk” with my neighbors….to share more of myself, in hopes that they can also see themselves in my stories. It makes us all feel a little bit closer.

Mmmm…..the coffee is especially good this morning. You want another cup? What flavor creamer? My mom and husband both tell me I need to learn to drink it, straight up, black. I say, why waste good creamer? There is nothing wrong with french vanilla or cinnamon swirl. Right?

This morning I’ve already been practicing my lines for the “Mary” monologue that I am doing tonight, at my church’s Good Friday service. Friends, would you remember me, that the words I speak would not be my own…but, that those listening tonight would hear the words of Mary and realize how much Jesus loves them?

I know it’s a gray day outside. This morning when I walked the dog, the wind was starting to pick up. A storm is obviously on the way. That is the Midwest for you…not quite ready for Spring yet. Gray clouds scud across the sky. Hey, why don’t you look out my front kitchen window? Doesn’t the farm across the road look like something out of a Norman Rockwell picture?  A red barn in the middle of an open field. I really enjoy my view. I like the wide open spaces that the country allows. Maybe, after the rain we can go for a walk? We can visit Jazz, my daughter’s horse, in the barn. The dogs would love to go for a walk with us. The llamas across the road will lift up their heads and sniff the air. They are curious animals and will keep an eye on us as we walk.

Walking and talking. One of my favorite past times. There is nothing better than sharing with friends.

Yesterday I bought some new curtains. Well, actually I used a gift certificate that I had. I don’t think anyone else in my family appreciates them as much as I do. That’s okay. God gave me an eye for aesthetics. I’m all for practical, but I also long for beauty. I appreciate the way the light pools on the floor, making a warm oasis. The shimmer of morning as it peeks through the curtains. The richness of the wood cabinets. The smell of my cinnamon/vanilla candle. I love color, and texture and smell. I think that God will have heaven be one big explosion of the senses. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

Uh oh….the rain has started.

You have to go? Alright then. Maybe you can you come back tomorrow? I’ve really enjoyed our time together. It’s great having you as a neighbor.

*** What’s happening at your house on this Good Friday? I’ll pull up a chair and you can tell me.***

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A Perfect Plan

Reenacting the Stations of the Cross in Jerusa...

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I’m portraying Mary (mother of Jesus) in an Easter monologue, this weekend.

Mary had the heart of a mother, when she admitted that she did not understand the purpose of Jesus‘ death. She knew He was the son of God, and yet she watched Him be hung on a cross to die. To die. Her heart bled out, along with her son’s. She knew He was God, but He was also her son…whom she loved. “Why, God? Why? It doesn’t make sense to me!”

Today, on the way home from a short trip into town, I was practicing my lines. Her words, so much she did not understand, echo back to my own heart. So much, I do not understand. I have the blessing of knowing that death was not the end for Jesus. I am able to celebrate the resurrection that followed. At the time, right after the crucifixion, Mary did not know…..yet.

Yet.

Isn’t that like so many of us? God does something in our lives…and we question Him. We shake our fists. We cry out. It’s not fair! Why me? I don’t understand. What is the purpose?

God in His infinite wisdom knows. Nothing comes as a surprise to Him. He is never caught off guard.

If God was small enough for me to understand Him (a woman who doesn’t understand her own computer), He wouldn’t be much of a God now, would He?  I cannot put God in a box.  Sometimes He does things that seem like they don’t make sense…at least not to my human, finite mind. I feel very much like Mary, standing in the dark on that day, wondering why? I am grateful that God does not require my permission to complete His plan.

(Jesus) “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39  NIV

So, this Easter I will celebrate God’s plan. A holy plan. A perfect plan. A plan that took His Son to the cross, to pay the price…for me. That’s how much He loves you…and me. Redeemed by the blood of the lamb. The pure and blameless sacrifice…

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