My listening ears

My listening ears have been enjoying the Annie Moses Band.

Never heard of them? Neither had I until our church recently hosted a concert. Now, if you've listened to my playlist, you know to some degree the variety of music I love. Everything from opera to bluegrass, to folk and old rock and roll. I love it all! Well, I'm not too crazy about Rap, other than Toby Mac whose a Christian artist who keeps his lyrics focused on Christ to some degree. Back to Annie Moses.......this band helped lead our worship before the concert later on a recent Sunday evening. I was amazed at this family and their amazing gifts of instruments, including piano, harp, and many strings. Annie, the lead singer in the band has an incredible voice, and her mother and sisters are wonderful back-up singers. Visit their site to get a taste of this celebration CD of Christ's birth. Then order it online. It's not only a terrific CD, but includes a DVD of their live performance. They'll be on TV this week too. Check out the schedule here.

What are you listening to?

I saw this anchor on St. George Street in St. Augustine, FL. and immediately thought "Word-filled Wednesday Photo!"   I had my daughter take a picture just for this scripture.   Go visit the160 acrewoods for more Word-Filled photos.  

Oh Happy Day!

We've just returned from St. Augustine, Florida where we celebrated our oldest son's graduation from Flagler College. Yippee!!! God gave this young man a wonderful mind, a great sense of humor, an amazing ability to memorize, a curiosity about the world in which he lives, and a love for people.
Thank You, Lord for these gifts through this son.

"The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26

Join me friends and pray as this young man seeks employment and God's path for his life.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

After a wonderful Thanksgiving, I worked in the shop on Saturday and came up with an arrangement for the front table. It's done in an over-sized martini glass, and I had fun using some roses and mums and hypericum berries for a festive piece.

Working in a floral boutique really gets the creative juices going, and I love working with customers to find the right custom piece for their needs. I have a large to-do list this year to prepare some things for Christmas here in my home. I need to finish this afghan I'm making for my husband. The colors look horrible on the green pool table, so try and imagine them without the ugly green background. It's really warm as I sit with it in my lap adding row upon row to make it big enough for him to completely wrap himself in it for his quiet time in the morning. He comes downstairs before dawn, makes coffee, feeds the dogs, and sits in his favorite chair to read his Bible, and very soon he'll have this cozy afghan to keep him warm.

One thing I want to make right away is this lovely wreath from The Red Thread. I'll add scripture and a Christmas song and we'll use this for during advent. Now that our kids are young adults and are in and out, we don't "do" advent like we used to when the kids were little. Advent began with lighting the advent wreath and reading through devotions, singing a song, and having a special snack before bedtime. If we're able to do devotions a couple of times a week we're doing really well in our hectic shedule of school, work, evening activities, etc. Sometimes I miss those days when mom and dad were the only ones with a driver's license.

What projects are you working on in your home to make it look like Christmas?

Behold, the virgin shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Isaiah 7:14

Word-filled Wednesday

As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. Luke 8:35

I read this scripture this morning and thought of my son, who is a very patient man. In this photo he's fishing with my husband in a beautiful place not far from his home.

Speaking of patience........our pastor who taught Sunday on Ephesians 4:1-6 on The Priority of Unity said something important about impatient people, whom I can count myself in that category more times than I'd like to, he said, "Impatient people want it THEIR way, RIGHT away, and ALL ways. Ouch. He also said when we allow disunity to exist we're robbing Christ of his glory, who's suffered the ultimate sacrifice. I remember too many times of being impatient with this son, and I need to repent and "bear fruit with patience."

Update: God called me to a test of my repentance, and gave me a chance to do this immediately after I published this post. This son called me and I heard the Lord's voice say, "Here's your opportunity to repent." Thank you Lord!

Word-filled Wednesday is hosted by The 160 Acre Wood. Come visit for more inspiration from God's word.

Crafting for Babies

I saw this lovely rag quilt tutorial on Prairie Muffin and decided to try it out for a friend's new grandson.

I found some cute flannel with construction trucks and traffic cones, and loved the combination of orange and blue. Cutting out the squares was easy, quilting the sandwiched squares from corner to corner was easy too.

Here's a close up of me snipping the raw edges to give it that frayed looked once it's washed and dried. This part was time-consuming, but I passed the time by listening and occasionally glancing at some Monk episodes from season four. I wonder if Monk could do this sewing project? Probably not, the strings would drive him nuts, and the frayed edges would drop him over the edge.

Wow! Amy over at A Redeemed Sheep awarded me and along with four other swappie friends this award. How sweet of her to do this. Amy is a kindred spirit, and willing to share her heart, her triumphs, and struggles. She's all about keepin' it real, and I appreciate this about her. Thanks, Amy.

Now, let's see the five folks I'd like to pass this award to .... hmmmm..... these are some of my favorite bloggers.

Renna at Finding My Knitch

Michael at Quiet Time

Karen at Between the Worlds

Julie at Home in the Mitten

Shay at O Shay Can You See.....

Now for the rules of this award. Yes, you need to pass it on.

-Each Superior Scribbler must pass this onto five of their most-deserving blog friends.

-Each SS must link to the name and blog address of whom the award came from.

-Display the award on your blog and link to The Scholastic Scholar, explaining the Superior Scribbler award.

-Visit the above post and sign your name to the Mr. Linky linky-thingy.

-Least but not least post the rules of the award on your blog.

So, go have fun and think of five friends whom you believe to be superior scribblers.

Word-filled Wednesday

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands Isaiah 54:12

Photo taken overlooking Juneau, Alaska, June 14, 2006
Copyright: Please do not borrow, use or copy without my permission.

This is my first participation in Word-Filled Wednesday. If you want to learn more about this way of sharing God's word with your blogger audience, visit The Hundred Acre Woods

Happy Birthday Billy Graham

Today is Reverend Billy Graham's ninetieth birthday. In this picture he's seen with his grandson, Tullian. Tullian is a friend of our pastor, and has written a wonderful tribute to his grandfather here.

In June of 2006 my mother, my daughter and I sang in the choir at the Franklin Graham Crusade at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles. What a privlilege it was to hear him, along with his father speak that day to thousands. The gospel was proclaimed and we had a chance to get a taste of heaven worshipping and singing praises to the Lord with so many people.

Billy Graham was helped to the podium and spoke, his unforgetable voice still strong while inviting attendees to give their lives to the God of the universe who loves them and knows their every need.


In the 1958 my husband attended a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles, California with some neighbors. This was back when the crusades were held nightly for a week. One of those nights God spoke to my husband and prompted him to go down to speak with a counselor and pray the sinner's prayer. Not being raised in a Christian home, and unfortunately without follow-up with Biblical teaching and discipleship, this seed was not watered for many years. It was a decision non the less, and in hindsight we see now God's protection over his life, and bringing him to a greater understanding of the gospel today. Thank you Lord for Billy Graham and the way you've used him and his family to glorify your name.

By the way, while dh was attending the crusade in Los Angeles I was being born to a young couple in Oklahoma City. God's plans are infinitly higher and broader than we could ever imagine, don't you think?

"Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as Head above all"
1 Chronicles 29:11

The sticker says it all....

My husband and I went to the local elementary school to vote. There were two precincts at this voting booth, and luckily ours was the one with no line. We walked right in and cast our ballot. I'm headed to work today, but will be silently praying all day for our nation, our leaders, and the people of this country.

Psalms 118:8 NIV
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

Cornbread says Fall

Cornbread says fall to me and it's tradition here in my home to make it along with a big pot of chile for Halloween. We're in a neighborhood with lots of kiddos, so turning off the light and going out is not an option for Halloween night.

I like dry savory cornbread, hot and slathered with lots of butter, and thought I'd found the "best" recipe ever until I tried this one on Friday night. It's from the King Arthur's Baker's Companion cookbook, and even though the instructions say to bake it in an 8-inch square pan, there's nothing better than cast iron in my book. I also substituted bacon grease for the oil. I know, I know, you're thinking "Horrors!" Get over it, and use it. You'll have it leftover anyway after you fry the bacon. See look at that cornbread in the skillet, don't you want to grab that wedge right now?

Try this recipe, and let me know what you think.

Bacon Cheddar Cornbread

9 servings

This recipe uses the spice cumin, which has a warm, toasty flavor. Cumin is popular in chile recipes, but it isn't hot at all. Fresh or frozen corn will work for this recipe, and both are equally good. So don't wait until summer to make it.

1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (3 5/8 ounces) yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) milk
1/4cup (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil (I used bacon grease)
1 cup (4 3/4 ounces) cooked or thawed corn kernals (I used canned corn)
6 ounces (6-7 slices) bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup (4 ounces) grated cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease an 8-inch square pan (or wait and use a little bacon grease in your cast iron skillet)

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cumin in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and vegetable oil (or bacon grease) and add to the dry ingredients. Stir in the corn, bacon, and cheese.

Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until it's golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove it from the oven and cool on a rack. (or gobble it up HOT!)

Confession: I doubled this recipe and I was so excited to try it, I forgot to add the cheese. I know, "What a dope, that's the kicker in this recipe!" To compensate, I sliced open a wedge, laid on a piece of cheddar and popped it under the broiler. Yum! You wouldn't believe how good it is served with chile. We've also been enjoying it leftvoer for breakfast, toasted and slathered with butter.

The Birthday Girl

Yes, I know her birthday was last week, but when it's your baby you enjoy celebrating all week long. Friday began with birthday gifts for the sleepy girl seen in this first picture. Then onto a fun lunch with grandma at our favorite place; Nordstrom's cafe. It's the ultimate in a girly luncheon. The birthday girls favorites here are Blue Cheese, Pear and Walnut salad, She-Crab soup, and iced tea. We always split one of their enormous chocolate dipped macaroons topped off with a cup of tea or coffee. One of these split three ways is enough sweet stuff to last all week.

Then of course there were other celebrations including the men in our lives; Dad, Grandpa, and brother Blake, but those pics. are on grandma's camera. Next weekend she'll celebrate with her friends by spending the evening in Annapolis.

This last picture is from last night right before our cotton-pickin', birthday girl headed out the door for an evening of fun with friends which included "watching the stupidist horror movie ever," eating pumpkin pie, and just hangin' out. Oh, and they did trick or treat one of their friends homes just for kicks.


I'll close out this post with the good-night blessing we say to her every night. It's from Numbers 6:23b-26 when God gave Moses instructions to give to Aaron and his sons regarding blessing the people of Israel:
....you shall say to them,
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

We never say the word "peace" but instead replace it with giving one another the universal peace sign.

Eighteen years ago today.....

I was holding my baby girl who was just a few hours old. I was still marveling at the thought of having a girl, convinced God had made me a boy mommy since I'd been enjoying seven years of mothering sticks and snails and puppy-dog tails. Now I had some sugar and spice and everything nice. Our family welcomed her into our arms and she's been a blessing in many ways. Happy birthday to my favorite daugther!

Bloggie Giveaway

http://muckbootsnaprons.blogspot.com/2008/10/bloggy-giveaways.html

Here's a fun blog to read, and if you love homemade soaps and lotion bars you just might win one in her giveaway. Hurry she'll draw a name on October 30th.

Playlist

My friend Renna mentioned she liked my playlist and was planning on keeping it open to enjoy. I do this same thing throughout the day, and have some favorites.

Here's one of my favorites: Nature Notes from Above I love listening to the sounds of nature while looking through all the creative ways to share nature study with your kids, or just while I'm reading through my e-mails. I no longer have young kids, but when I was homeschooling we did lots of field studies, and schooled outside whenever we could.

I still keep a nature notebook and enjoy sketching, and making notes of birds, trees and flowers. This blog's playlist is inspiring.

Share some of your favorite playlist sites.

Edit: I just had both Nature Notes from Above and my playlists going at the same time, and it was pleasant, an outdoor concert if you will. Louis Armstrong with bird sounds in the background was interesting.

Beauty

This past Friday night several hundred women gathered at my church to listen to Carolyn Mahaney give us some biblical tips on beauty. If you'd like to listen to the message, check it out here: Beauty.

Carolyn is the wife of our former senior pastor, C.J. Mahaney. C.J. is now leading Soverign Grace Ministries in supporting and planting local churches. Four years ago he handed over the reigns to Josh Harris. Our family has benefited from his teaching and leadership, and are grateful to be in this church.

I recommend Carolyn's books some of which were co-written with her married daughters. If you have a daughter I'd recommend this one:
Girl Talk. Read it first to yourself and then along with your daughter aged pre-teen through young adult. I recommend you read it first, so you can judge what's appropriate or helpful for your mother/daugther relationship.

Many free resources of downloads, PDFs and MP3s from Carolyn's talks directed toward womanhood are here: Womanhood resources.

Things in my House Thursday

A homeschooling friend of mine has three kids who raise chickens and sell their eggs. The chickens are providing beautiful nutrition and eye candy for my family. I'm amazed each week when I open the carton to see the gorgeous colors and shapes. What a creative God we serve!
By the way, the pencil marks on the egg in the lower right hand corner is the date the egg was laid; Laura's kids mark each one.

If you'd like to see what others are sharing from their homes on Thursdays, go check out this blog at MommySweetMom

Flowers for the Fallen

This floral arrangement was made today in the shop where I work to be sent to the family of Victor. Victor served our nation in two tours in Iraq, came home two weeks ago and was struck by a car and killed. Please pray for his family and all those who knew and loved him.

Things in My House Thursday

This is my first time participating in Things in My House Thursday. Here's the link if you want to see some fun things others have posted and join in the fun at MommySweetMom

In case you're wondering I love flowers, plants, gardening, anything that grows. Today I'm sharing my orchid plant which was given to me last year by my sweet husband. It was in full bloom when he gave it to me and gradually lost all it's lovely blossoms. I was determined to do all I could to make it rebloom, and alas it's in bloom again. Whooo-Hooo! I've tried orchids before and never had succeeded in reblooms. For me, it's like having a new puppy, or a baby. It's been sitting on the edge of my tub in the bathroom, but I've moved it to the mantle so I can enjoy it every minute.

My ever-lovin' bird-lovin' husband

My husband is a wonderful man in many ways. Over the past five or six years we've shared a hobby together which has been a neat way for us to connect, spend time together, and has enhanced our communication. We're birders, who love to challenge ourselves with identification of birds in our local parks, our backyard, and bodies of water. We enjoy documenting the birds in life lists, yearly lists, and even a county list.

BLH (Bird-lovin' husband) is an early riser and has even drug me into his obsessive quiet morning time of walking in the woods before the dawn. I love it once I'm out there, I just don't love leaving my luscious pillow and cozy bed in the morning. My intentions in the evening are admirable when he asks if I'd like to walk in the morning, yet my age and hormonal sleep patterns sometime dash those intentions.

This morning we headed out before dawn to a local park and saw deer, hawks, cardinals, a beautiful formation of Canada geese, and even saw a couple of fox sparring up on their hind legs. We guessed it was foreplay between a male and female since there tusseling lacked actual agression. Later when we parked ourselves on a picnic bench for some prayer time and Bible study we saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, tons of Bluejays, some Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and more deer skirting through the daylight.

Here's my husband's blog appropriately entitled Quiet Time.
Thank you Lord, for faithful husbands who love you, your creation, and are patient with wives who aren't necessarily morning people.

Another giveaway

A Pumpkin Penny Rug Giveaway
Ginger of Primitives by the Light of the Moon has created a lovely pumpkin penny rug that she'll be giving away in exchange for a fond childhood memory. You'll find yourself smiling while reading all the sweet memories posted there. ...

Another anniversary

My online friend Marilyn over at A Mixed Bouquet is having a giveaway to celebrate her first Blogiversary. Marilyn is one of those amazing women who seems to make life look easy, although she doesn't do it on her own, but leans on the Lord for strength, courage, wisdom and grace. Her giveaway will musically encourage you to do the same. Go visit and enter the contest.

The secret's out

I haven't told anyone in my cyber world, but I have a new job. I'm working part-time in a floral shop which looks more like a gift shop or museum than your average florist. It's a new store in a new area which is rather hoity-toity. This job found me through a friend who thought of me when she spoke with the owner about the person they were looking for. This friend is a Christian and she has a desire to bring light into darkness in our community also. I help the designer in the store by preparing flowers which come in from vendors, take orders, keep the displays looking fresh, clean containers for new arrangements, and also design a few things myself.

These photos show some cubes I designed. Photos one, three and four were cube arrangements to have on hand in the cooler for walk-ins, but number two was designed from a request. A woman came in requesting something with pussy willow, not too big, long-lasting flowers, and wanting to spend around $40.00. This order came in while I was working alone, so of course, I panicked inside and worked like mad on the outside to produce something in thirty minutes. The woman loved it when she came back to pick it up.
Whew! Talk about pressure. I'll borrow Candace Olsen's title of her HGTV show in describing it as a "Divine Design." ;-)
This piece seemed fallish to me with the multi-colored spikey leaves, and pinkish orange carnations and sedum. The showcase flower in this piece is a Star of Bethlehem.

I'll post more as I make more. I don't always get to take photos of the pieces I design, as some are just wrapped mixed bouquets for walk-ins.

I love my new job as it feeds my creativity, and my desire to learn new skills.