My dearest readers:

I have something of great interest to report. The lovely Barefoot Mama has invited all of us to chronicle our days a la mode de Jane Austen. Madam Mama is a blogger of the utmost respectability and delicacy, not to mention that she is the personification of creativity indeed.

I have it on good authority that Madam Mama is "at home" during the afternoon hours. I do encourage you to take a stroll over to her lovely home in the blog--o-sphere. I am afraid that I shall not be able to accompany you, as I am indisposed at the moment.

After this necessary preamble, I shall proceed to inform you all that I am happy to have my children suitably matched and married and settled in good positions. Now, it comes upon me to take up the task of praying for my dear friend, M___, to be wooed by a gentleman every bit as fine in character as my own honrable and beloved D____. Of course, the Lord may have other plans in mind for M____ , so I must keep that in mind. I do so have the itch to see everyone around me settled into that harmonious state of matrimony that befits men and women of gentlemanlike and ladylike character. They say that there is a lovely young woman named Emma Woodhouse who is of the same mind. I don't mind telling you that I hear that she has caused much mischief to her friends by her impetuosity in these matters. Perhaps, I should proceed with extreme caution, myself.

Last night, when I was awakened with a rhume de cervaux et de caisse, I heard the most frightening of noises. These creaks and rumbles did so remind one of creepy castles and abbeys, in which husbands attempt to poison their wives, as my friend Catherine assures me happens all of the time. I must remember to ask D______ to check our attic or our plumbing or some such thing. Perhaps, something is amiss with the house. How is it that noises which sound so cozy and friendly during the day seem so eerie when one is coughing in the wee hours?

As for our gardens, I am sure nothing is amiss, there. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new rose bush. I hope it will be an adornment to our humble cottage. Do roses appeal to my sense or my sensibility? Beloved D_______ thinks it's the latter, as I do have a romantic fondness for them, but have little notion how to care for them in practicality. Perhaps, I am too prideful, thinking that I can, with a little persuasion, coax my various rose bushes into blooming health. Then, again, maybe I am prejudiced toward roses as they are such noble blossoms. What can I say? Once one falls in love with a rose, there is not the least thought of going back.

This morning, as you can imagine, I am not receiving company due to la grippe. I must tell you that I am quite bored being shut off from the delights of society. We did, however, enjoy having our church small group over night before last. It was such an agreeable company of spiritually minded people. I must say that young C___, is such an agreeable baby with the handsomest of blue eyes. Dearest readers, do you think it is too early to start dreaming of his future? I have in mind a beautiful young lady of six months, who would suit him quite well, I think. After all, they are of an age together. Wouldn't our dear Emma approve of my thinking?

Perhaps, next summer, I shall re-read Mansfield Park, just to be sure that our dear Fanny and our dear Esmond are still happy together. People repeat all of the most horrid things about poor Fanny -- saying that she is insipid and can't speak a word for herself. I maintain, on the other hand, that her modest charm is why many of us love her so.

I remain, my Dearest Readers,
Most affectionately yours,
Elizabeth

Here's a photo of a hybrid musk rose. I have a rose with a very similar bloom. I haven't quite identified the rose yet, so will keep looking.

For some reason, I'm on a flower and poem kick. We had a nice warm day here, but I was inside with a cold and actually fell asleep swaddled in blankets and in front of the fire. I prefer a real fireplace to our gas logs. However, at times like this, it surely is nice to be able to flip on a switch and have an instant flame.

Do you keep books of pretty poems and lovely quotes, as I do? If you do, I'd love for you to share with me some of your favorites.

Here's a little poem of musk roses and spring:

A Violet Bank

I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows;

Quite over-canopied with lush woodbine,

With sweet musk roses and eglantine.

William Shakespeare

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

For Today...

Outside my window... The day is sunny and crisp. After a taste of spring last week, our high today is only in the mid-forties. Our daffodils are up and growing tall. I'm hoping they'll bloom soon. The neighbor's ornamental pear tree is still budding.

I am thinking... about the lovely Valentine's Day that my dearest hubby and I had.

I am thankful for...having the same wonderful Valentine for 29 years.

From the kitchen... white beans in the crockpot.

I am wearing... black skirt, black drapey top, black jacket and...curlers. I really hope no one comes to the door!

I am reading...time to take a bunch of library books back and get new ones!

I am hoping...for spring!!!

I am creating...finishing an apron.

I am hearing... the dryer going.

Around the house...much to do, as always.

One of my favorite things...phone calls to and from my children.

A few plans for the rest of the week...We are having company this weekend, so I'll be preparing the house.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Generic Brands....

For twenty-eight years of housekeeping, I've always found it more economical to include certain certain generic brands in my shopping than to rely on brand names alone -- even with the help of coupons. Of course, everyone has their favorite brand names, and I buy those when it's important to either my dearest husband or myself. But, in general, I've always bought a lot of store brand items as well, and I have usually been pleased with the quality.

Lately, thought, I've noticed problems in two areas -- or maybe it's one area, depending on how you look at it. My favorite store brands of powdered dishwasher detergent and powdered laundry detergent no longer dissolve well in water. I've had trouble rinsing out powdery film on clothing and dishes. I have no problem with liquid laundry or dishwasher detergents, so obviously, the solution is simply to use the better-working products.

I'm wondering, however, if manufacturers are cutting quality due to the economy or if an effort to make products more eco-friendly has also made them harder to use. I did read recently that they are finding many of the newer eco-friendly products really don't clean as well as the old-fashioned basics. But, I'm not sure that would account for the problems with the store brands I've been buying.

Has anyone had similar experiences?

Enjoy!
elizabeth

For Today...I'm doing the Monday Daybook Entry on Sunday this week.

Outside my window... We've been in the 70's for the past couple of days. It was so delightful to air out my house yesterday. By now, we usually start seeing early flowers and buds on trees, but this has been an unusually cold winter and the bulbs aren't up yet. I can't wait to see how spring unfolds.

I am thinking... that I am a little betwixt and between, staying home today with some back issues. I ached late into the night, but as I'm up now and am icing my back, I'm feeling somewhat better. So, I feel too well to be in bed, but not well enough to be with my church family. Sigh.

From the learning rooms... I'm learning how much poverty of spirit I really have and how continually I need to cast myself upon the Lord's grace.

I am thankful for... Being able to take my father out yesterday for some fun errands; the warmer weather, a loving husband, getting my dining room curtains washed; getting to go out to dinner last night with friends;....so many, many things.

I am reading... I just finished the Five Senses of Romantic Love. I bought it some time ago and had read parts of it. But, since it's Valentine's month, I thought I'd finish it from front cover to back. It's short and easy reading. I came away with lots of thoughts about ways to give to my dear hubby.

I am hoping... to feel better!

I am creating... I am hoping to create a clean home through spring cleaning.

I am hearing... so many singing birds. I love bird songs. Plus, the songs remind me of this verse, "Those living far away fear your wonders;
where morning dawns and evening fades
you call forth songs of joy."

Psalm 65:8.

I don't know if that's what this verse means, but I like to think that birds are part of the chorus that God calls forth to sing songs of joy. I'd also like to join in -- off key and all!

Around the house... much is staring at me and saying, "Please attend to me." I will have to choose wisely. It doesn't make sense to stay home with a sore back and do things that might make it worse.

One of my favorite things... fresh breeze blowing in through open windows!!

A few plans for the rest of the week...Many things, but here's a little one: I hope the weather will remain so that I can get out and turn some dirt in my little garden.

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

Did you know?

I was looking for some ideas to help me tweak the way our front yard looks, and I came across this bit of interesting trivia from the University of Missouri extension service:

Foundation plantings started in the Victorian era as a way to hide the high foundations that were prevalent in the time. These foundations were considered to be unattractive. Who knew?

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

The Art of Asking Questions:

Since it's the month of Valentine's Day, now is a good time to focus on making life special for our spouses. Children, parents, and dear friends could also use a little tender thoughtfulness to brighten their days.

Asking questions and listening well are two small ways that we can make this month extra special for our loved ones. If we make it a lifetime habit, we will be able to keep the spark of friendship alive in all of our relationships. It will also go a long way toward keeping the glow of romance in our marriages.

In the beginning of any relationship, particularly when we are drawn to that special someone we later marry, we make eager efforts to get to know a person. We ask thoughtful questions, and we listen raptly. Even if the other person has passions in life that we know little about, we want to hear more.

Such attention is endearing and draws two hearts closer together. Don't we all respond to someone who genuinely takes an interest in us? Sometimes, we will think that a person is charming or a fabulous conversationalist, when what they really are is simply someone who knows how to draw us our in conversation and how to listen. This ability is both an art and something that we can master if we put our minds to it.

In the dailiness of life, we sometimes take our parents, our children, and our spouses for granted. We chat about things; we show an interest in some current family event; but, we cease to put our heart into knowing our loved ones on a deeper level. We can become more interested in airing what's on our hearts and minds, rather than tuning in to the other person.

We also make the mistake of thinking that we can coast along on the knowledge we already have of someone. Yet, we are all moving forward in life, and our loved ones are maturing, going through new experiences, and changing. In order to keep that tender bond of the heart current, it's good to ask some insightful questions once in a while.

Now, we don't want to pepper our loved ones with questions so that they feel interrogated. We also need to watch for the right moment to bring up certain topic. Moreover, we need to be prepared to share from our heart, as well, so that the conversation does not become too one-sided.

There are exceptions to every rule, but, generally, women are more relationship oriented than men. Thus, women are often more talented in and more interested in conversation, as well. If an outgoing woman is married to a very quiet or private man, she may become frustrated because he does not talk to her. This may be something that he needs to work on in order to love his wife more fully. Often, however, the woman can draw a quiet man out of his shell with the art of asking and listening.

This is particularly true if the wife generally fills the conversational vacuum by doing all of the talking, herself. Some quiet men really do enjoy it when the wife is bright and chatty, and they love to hear their wives talk. Others, however, feel bowled over in conversation and withdraw even further. If you do talk a lot, you might experiment with sitting quietly by your husband, slowing down your own talk, and waiting patiently for him to express himself -- even if that results in some halting silences.

Whether your husband is quiet or not, here are some interesting questions to ask him. These questions may spur ideas of your own. A nice Valentine's exercise would be to pick one question a week to ask your husband and really listen to him, without rushing in to correct him or to state your opinion. Your goal is not only to help him express himself, but for you to grow in your intimate knowledge of him. You want to see him with fresh eyes. Again, unless your husband is comfortable talking deeply and you are in the habit of doing so, don't bombard him with deep questions. Just make a note to learn something new about him once a week or once a month.

1) What have you been learning about God lately? (From Focus on the Family)
2) How do you see God working in our lives as a couple? What do you see us doing in five years?
3) Is there anything you would like me to pray for you?
4) What was the happiest thing that happened to you today? What was the toughest thing that happened to you today? (This is also a good question to ask your children.)
5) What gives you joy in your life right now? (From the "Love Dare")
6) What is the toughest thing in your life right now? (From the "Love Dare")
7) What are three things you'd like to do before this year passes? (From the "Love Dare")
8) What are some of your favorite memories when you think about the intimate times we've had together? (You might save this one for the bedroom.)
9) What do you love most about God? Why are you following Jesus?
10) What was your childhood picture of God, or did you have one? How has that changed over the years?
11) What do you think about _____ ?(topic of current news or political interest).
12) What do you enjoy most about ______? (job, hobby, or sport.)
13) How is work going? If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be? How is that project that you've been telling me about coming along?
14) If we could take a vacation anywhere in the world -- with money being no object -- where would you like to go?
15) Is there someplace special you'd like to visit sometime in our lifetime? What will it take to get there?

You probably already know your husband's most cherished interests. Some of them may seem boring to you. However, you probably also like to talk about things that seem boring to him. Show an interest in his interests, and he'll likely show an interest in yours. Ask him questions about sports, for example, even if you don't care for watching sports yourself. Even if he doesn't return the favor by asking you about your love of antique lace, you can rejoice that you have been able to make him feel loved and respected by listening to him.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

If you've been reading my blog, you know that I've been looking for an old garden rose to add to my yard this year. I've decided on the one in the photo above. It's a Great Maiden's Blush, and it's an old Alba rose. I'll let y'all know how it does here in my Tennessee yard.

The author of the lovely blog, "very CALM" shared a link with me in the comments section of my earlier post about my search for the perfect rose. The link is a fun site called Love of Roses, and it has a special page about the meanings that have been attached to certain roses. With Valentine's Day coming up, now is a wonderful time to think about roses.

According to the site, my favorite color of rose -- pink -- signifies

• Elegance, style, and poetic romance.
• Sweet thoughts and thank yous.
• joy and grace

Those are lovely things to think about whenever I see pink roses. :)

Re growing roses: My husband heard a new report that reiterates some old information. It seems that for the past couple of centuries, our climate has undergone alternating cycles of warming and cooling that last about thirty years each. We have just finished about a thirty year warming cycle, according to the researchers, and we are headed into a cooling cycle. This is influenced at least in part by currents in the Pacific, which affect the fronts that spread from the northwestern U.S. down to the southeastern U.S. I wonder if that could be true, since we are certainly having an unusually cold winter here in the States. If this is true, I wonder how that might affect garden plants, including roses. Has anyone else heard about this?

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

More about love...

True love never fails. That means loving someone over the long haul, day after day, whether we see results or not, out of love for God and not for what we can get out of it. So often we determine to love somebody, but what we are really seeking is for them to respond to our love in ways that will make life sweeter for us. We are kind to someone who is often irritable, for example, because we hope that our kindness will bring kindness in return.

Of course, love has as its aim the highest good of another person. That does mean that love has as one purpose to draw each other closer to the Lord. However, in the case of people who are closest to us, we often confuse a valid concern for another person's spiritual welfare with a desire for that person to act in ways that make us happy. When our attempts to love a particular person don't bring immediate relief for us, so often we want to throw up our hands and quit trying to love that person. That is manipulation, not love. I've seen that too often in myself.

By contrast, Jesus says, "Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:35-36, TNIV)"

I enjoy these two quotes from J. R. Miller about what true love is:

"It is easy to let bitterness creep into the heart when one has to endure wrong day after day, week after week, possibly year after years. There are women who know what this means. There are men, too, who meet this experience. Too often the darkness creeps into their souls and puts out the lights of love. Nothing on earth is sadder than this. It is a sort of death that is worse than dying. Whatever wrongs or cruelties we have to endure we should always keep love in our hearts. We should never allow its lamps to be put out. We should keep on loving and thus be more than conquerors over all the hardness that besets us. In all such experiences love will save us, keep us alive — and nothing else will.

Sometimes one finds a sweet fresh-water spring beside the sea. When the tide is low you may take your cup and drink of the pure well and the water is fresh as if it flowed from the bosom of a rock on the hillside. Then the sea rolls over and for long hours the brackish floods bury the little spring out of sight. But when the tide draws back again, you find the water sweet as ever. So love should be in our hearts when the black, brackish floods of wrong have swept over them. The love should never lose its sweetness."

AND...

"This is part of the lesson set for us, and it is a lesson not easy to learn. It is hard to receive injury from others and always to return kindness for it. Especially is it hard to suffer wrongfully and keep one’s heart sweet and loving through it all. Yet that is the lesson, and we find right here one of life’s most serious problems. We cannot avoid suffering at the hand of others. In the truest and most congenial friendships there sometimes are things which occasion pain. Even in the sweetest home there is frequent need of t he mutual forbearance and forgiveness. Then there are many who have to suffer continually, ofttimes cruelly and bitterly, at the hands of others.

Here then is the problem — to keep love in the heart through all unkindness, ingratitude, and injustice; never to allow bitterness to creep in; never to give way to any feeling of resentment; always to be forgiving, loving, and ready to help. It was thus that Christ went through His life to the very end, praying for His enemies even on His cross, and giving His life to save those who were driving Him out of His own world."

From J. R. Miller -- The Lesson of Love

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

February Focus: Love

It's the countdown to DH's birthday on the last day of January, and, then, February and Valentine's Day will arrive. I am still focusing on being diligent in the sense of paying attention to detail -- not just in the things I love and am naturally good at, but in all things. I'm applying diligence to working with love and working efficiently.

My February focus is love. To that end, I've thought up five practical ways to show love to my husband:

1) Remember that what speaks love to my husband is not necessarily what speaks love to me. I respond to a lot of affection, words of affirmation, and time spent together. My husband loves these things, as well. However, my husband feels especially loved when the household is running in order and when I show respect for his domestic needs and wishes. When I realize that, it makes doing all the little things of running a household sweeter. Doing laundry, for example, is no longer just a duty, but a way of showing love for my dearest companion in life. It is also a way of honoring the Lord, who wants us to do our work as if for him. Also, understanding that this is dear hubby's language of love enables me to understand that when he does some act of service for me, he is telling me that he loves me.
2) Re-read the Five Sense of Romantic Love, which is inspired by Song of Solomon, and employ those sense in creating a beautiful romantic life together. Particularly pay attention to this verse from Song of Solomon: "I have become in his eyes like one bringing contentment (shalom). 8:10b Shalom in Hebrew means peace, a sense 0f well-being, satisfaction, wholeness, and contentment. To wish someone Shalom in Hebrew means to wish them the fullness of God's care, blessing, abundance and the well-being that God's tender care brings. Of course, our husbands can find the full depths of shalom only in their relationship to the Lord. But, what a blessing to know that we can be part of God's plan for blessing our husbands with shalom!
3) Rejoice in our stage of life and work with it. Every stage of married life has its blessings and its challenges. Appreciating the one you're in and working with it to make the most of your life together is both an art and an act of faith in the Lord. My dearest companion in life and I are in the empty nest stage of marriage. Our blessings and challenges are different than the young couple who have yet to have children or the thirty something couple with many children in the home. To wish to be other than where you are in life right now is to murmur against the Lord's timing. To keep your love for the Lord and for each other fresh in every season of life is to accept the Lord's timing. That brings peace and beauty to a marriage.
4) Study God's amazing love. We love because he first loved us. Only when we are continually growing in our understanding of God's love are we truly able to love others -- including our husbands.
5) Take care of my health and trust the Lord with my health. Since I have some chronic health challenges, this one is a big one for me. I find it to be challenging! Yet, I know that if I trust the Lord's will for my health and also exercise good stewardship of my body, I will be a happier and, perhaps, healthier, companion for my dearest hubby. Also, I will be a happier and perhaps healthier servant of the Lord.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

For life, with all it yields of joy and woe,
And hope and fear…
Is just our chance o’ the prize of learning love,—
How love might be, hath been indeed, and is.”

Robert Browning

Christian love has to be learned. There is natural affection which does not need to be learned — the love of parents for children, of children for parents, of friend for friend. But it is not natural to love our enemies, to love unlovable people, to be unselfish, to return kindness for unkindness. We have to learn this love, and it is the great business of life to do it. J. R. Miller

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

Winter has a beauty all it's own.

On Saturday, DH and I took a walk by a lake. It was late-afternoon, and the sun was making beautiful shadows in the trees and on the water. It was hard to capture how lovely it all was with my camera.






The older I become, the more I love winter. I seeing the inner beauty of trees that have been stripped of leaf and flower and fruit. I also love the way you can see further in the woods in winter, and it's easier to spot wildlife. Winter skies are also some of the most breathtaking, as they are either the clearest and bluest of all skies or they are soft and cozy looking, with clouds that stretch across like warm, fluffy blankets.

I also love people who grow more and more beautiful in the winter of their lives. For some of great faith, their inner beauty shines more clearly even though the outer person may be becoming more frail.

Yet, one of the loveliest things about winter is, as Shelley says, "Oh, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?" I expect that in a couple of weeks, we'll start seeing daffodils rising up.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Visit the Home of the Daybook.

FOR TODAY January 26, 2009

Outside My Window...It's another cloudy Monday. I never thought we had so many overcast Mondays until I started keeping track of them on the Simple Woman's Daybook. Perhaps, this is just an unusual weather year, as we do normally have lots of sun during the winter. It's in the summer that we usually get really hazy days. Our high today is only 41 degrees F and it will drop to about 32 or 33 degrees tonight. It has been an unusually cold winter for us, I think. From what I hear, I think it's been an unusually cold winter all over the U.S.

I am thinking...how happy I am that we will celebrate my wonderful husband's 53rd birthday this weekend, Lord willing.

I am thankful for...my wonderful husband and 28 years of marriage.

From the learning rooms...I know this is supposed to be about home schooling children, but my children are grown and married. I still seem to be in the "home school of life", however. :)

From the kitchen...I'm changing plans rather quickly, as I had planned a small dish for my husband and myself, but I did not foresee that I would need to take a dish to a neighboring family who are having an emergency. So, I've decided to freeze the small amount of beef I had plannned to brown for my dish tonight and, instead, throw a bunch of chicken pieces into the oven with some barbecue sauce.
I also tried a new quick and easy cookie recipe that a friend shared with me at Christmas. You start with one box of cake mix -- any flavor except one that has pudding mix in it. Stir in two eggs and 1/2 cup oil. Roll into small balls or drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. (You can roll the cookies in chopped nuts, if you like.) Bake at 350 degrees for 7 1/2 to 10 mintues. (I actually had to cook mine a little longer than the recipe calls for, but I made large cookies. I think next time, I will make mine a bit smaller and, perhaps, shorten the cooking time.)

I am wearing...a black skirt, black tights, a pink turtleneck, and some gold earrings that I just realized today I've had for about 30 years. How can I have had a pair of earrings for thirty years, when I'm only 29 -- and counting -- and counting a lot. :0

I am creating...hoping to have time soon to get back to my apron project.

I am reading...a library book which is a collection of four novels by Grace Livingston Hill and several short stories by Isabella Alden. To tell the truth, I'm enjoying the short stories much better than the novels.

I am hoping...to get a lot done this week.

I am hearing...just heard the oven beeping to tell me it reached the correct temp a few seconds ago.

Around the house...lots to do!

One of my favorite things...sleeping or napping under quilts.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: the birthday dinner for my hubby.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

On the hunt for an old-fashioned, hardy rose...

I'm no rose expert, just an avid rose lover. I am a great fan of old garden roses. However, the only rose bushes I have right now are a miniature rose in a pot and two rose bushes that I rescued from a bargain table.

I'm in the market for a hardy, old-fashioned rose -- one that is very disease resistant. I'd prefer one that is grown on its own root stock rather than being grafted. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Here are some older roses that I think are pretty:

This is a tea rose called Sombreuil. It is a climber. It is supposed to be hardy, though I always thought that tea roses can be quite delicate.
The picture is from Antique Rose Emporium.


















This is Souvenier de Malmaison. It is a Bourbon rose. This might be a good choice for me as it does well in the cold, but also does well in the humid South. Since I live in the mid-South, I mostly have to deal with the problems that roses can have in the South. But, we're just far enough to get a few really cold temps during some winters -- a la this winter.

This photo is also from Antique Rose Emporium.




Marchella Bocella is a light pink old rose that does well in our area.

Some say that Darlow's Enigma is a rose that grows well almost anywhere.

Or, I'm toying with thought of adding a pale pink rambler to my garden.

Our hardiness zone is 6 and our heat zone is 7.

So, all you rose lovers, send in your thoughts.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Diligence:

"Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." 2 Peter 3:14

Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed. --Robert Cavett

Any battle for victory, power, and deliverance - from ourselves and from sin - which is not based constantly upon the gazing and the beholding of the Lord Jesus, with the heart and life lifted up to Him, is doomed to failure. --Alan Redpath

Here is the great secret of success. Work with all your might; but trust not in the least in your work. Pray with all your might for the blessing of God; but work, at the same time, with all diligence, with all patience, with all perseverance. Pray then, and work. Work and pray. And still again pray, and then work. And so on all the days of your life. The result will surely be, abundant blessing. Whether you see much fruit or little fruit, such kind of service will be blessed... -- George Muller

He who waits to do a great deal of good at once will never do anything. --Samuel Johnson

Some say if only my fears and doubts will leave then I will get to work. But instead you should get to work and then your fears and doubts will leave --Dwight L. Moody

Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditat e before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded. God will never let you hold a spiritual thing for yourself; it has to be given back to Him that He may make it a blessing to others. -- Oswald Chambers

If Christ does not reign over the mundane events in our lives, He does not reign at all. -- Paul Tripp

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

FOR TODAY January 19, 2009

Outside my window...It's spitting snow!! I don't know if it will accumulate or not.

I am thinking...of plans for the day.

I am thankful for...the birds I see and also hear singing despite the snow. I love the songs of birds and am so happy to live in an area where they sing year round.

From the learning rooms...Our church is embarking on a five month study of the Sermon on the Mount. I both love and have been challenged by just the few studies we've had so far.
From the kitchen...We will have chicken and noddles tonight.

I am wearing...my p.j.s but will soon change into a skirt, warm tights, and layered top.

I am creating...neat little spaces in my home, an apron.
I am going...to a birthday party tonight if the roads are clear.

I am reading...Tennessee Fruits and Vegetables.

I am hoping...in God's love.

I am hearing...the washing machine humming. Today, I plan to neaten the house and get in some laundry, as well.

Around the house...See above.

One of my favorite things...roses, roses, roses. I hope that my bushes have survived the unusual cold spell we had last week. I think they look ok, but am not sure about one.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Overnight business trip with dear hubby.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


Our living room fireplace. You can see that my plant is shedding and that I need to clean it up.

This print is entitled something like "Summer Day in the Garden". Well, it's anything but a summer's day here. Our Southern city is undergoing an arctic blast. It was only 3 degrees this morning!! That is very unusual for our city, though I do remember occasions when it has been this cold or even a few degrees colder.

I ventured out in this afternoon and thought I'd be the only person shopping at Wal-Mart. However, they closed all the schools due to the cold, and it seemed that tons of families and teens headed for Wal-Mart. At least, it was delightfully warm inside.

While shopping, I couldn't resist a bouquet of white tulips for only $5.00. The flowers just spoke to me of spring.

I wore black rain boots with white polka dots on them --from Tar-jay. I know they're sort of youthful for someone my age, but they're cute and warm and my dear hubby likes me in them. I also layered on a rose-colored knit shawl that dh brought me from a trip to South America, my coat, gloves, and a beret over jeans and a long sleeved heavy turtleneck. Would you believe I actually was sweating underneath all of that! But, since I have chronic asthma, I was determined to dress waermly.

I was also encouraged to strike out in the cold by the knowledge that my Southern born daughter is adjusting to life up north with the hubby of her dreams. Her part of the country has hit the negative temps lately. She's searching for a new coat, as her current coat is fine for here but not for Chicago.

When I was a little girl, my father had to make several business trips to Chicago. Whenever he put on a certain heavy coat, I knew he was flying up there for the day.

My dear son and his beautiful new bride had thought it might be nice to move to Chicago to be near his sister and brother-in-law and some friends. A visit over New Year's has convinced them otherwise. They hit town during a Chicago-style cold spell dressed for the weather they had just left in Atlanta.

It's all in what you're used to, though. As some of you know, I just finished reading Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The family thought nothing of temps way in the negatives, but continued on with work and play. I noticed though that she describes the family as eating some huge and hearty meals. The good old American diet furnished enough calories to withstand drafty houses in winter and hard work on the farm all year round.

I followed this link from Homeliving Helper: Whimsey Pink.
(Did you really think I could resist a site with that name?) Anyhow, the photographs looked so fresh and so springlike. If it weren't for the fact that my manly dh would be uncomfortable in these surroundings, this would be the colors of my ideal home. As it is, I have several touches that are similar.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

I have no idea where I found this quote. If anyone knows where it comes from, please let me know.

"'One of the things I'm thankful for every day is my share in the world's work,' said a wise and busy woman. 'I am thankful that my hands are full.' The blessing of full hands and full days is noen that we fail to appreciate until illness or some other misfortune forces us to stand by while the eager, useful procession passes by without us. A vital part in the world we live in, a head and a hand for us to work, a heart for its needs, its oys, its burdens and faith for its outlook -- these are the best gifts that can be ours for healthful and happy days.'"

You know, the sentiment in this is so true. I am grateful that I have never been stricken with a permanetly disabling illness, but I have had chronic health issues that have slowed me down. It's funny how when we are sick, we do look at tasks in a new way. Jobs that might seem tedious when you are full of health and wanting to go outside to enjoy a spring day take on a new glamour. If we are bedridden for a day or a week or longer, we would be so grateful to be up and able to wash dishes or do laundry or vacuum the floors. When ill, a little leisure is enjoyable. But, if the illness hangs on, so much time of enforced rest can hang heavy on our hearts. The health to work is a blessing! We do well to remember that and to teach our children that, as well.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Seeds and Hope: I forgot to fill in I am hoping in my Daybook entry...

If you read my daybook entry below, you probably realized that I left "I am hoping" blank in order to think of something and forgot to fill it in when I thought of it.

Yesterday, my dear hubby and I ate lunch at a Cracker Barrel restaurant after church. Now, I don't think of Cracker Barrel as a place to buy seeds. But, as I was browsing around while we were waiting for our table, I came upon their line of Burpee-themed collectibles. There among the pretty watering cans and such, was a cardboard display box filled with Burpee seed packets -- mostly heirloom or unusual varieties. What caught my eye immediately was an old French variety of haricots vert or green beans, as we call them.

Now, years ago, when I was seventeen, I spent a summer in Paris in a dormitory where the cooking was done by Portuguese nuns. They often prepared the most delcious green beans. I have never come across an exact duplicate of the particular color of the green in the beans or their taste in the U.S.

Now, of course, I love my Southern U.S. green beans, cooked down with some ham. (I'd still use good, old-fashioned fatback in the beans if I didn't think the cholesterol would cause an immediate clog in our arteries.) But, I did also loved the French beans and never figured if it was the type of beans themselves that I was drawn to, or the style of cooking them or soil and weather conditions in the area where I was staying that made them so delightful.

The beans pictured on the front of the seed packet looked something like the seeds I remembered. So, I bought a packet, along with a packet of carrot seeds of an old variety.

So, I am hoping that my Cracker Barrel seeds weren't just for show, but are real, viable, Burpee quality seeds. There's always something hopeful about buying seed packets. Don't you think? It's hope that spring is coming. It's hope that your little garden crop will look and taste as beautiful as the art work on the seed packet promises.

To me, watching plants emerge from planted seeds is one of God's wondrous beauties! It's especially true in my case. My father loves plants and has a green thumb and plants grow simply because he walks into a room. My husband grew up working in his family's garden, and is a credible gardener -- when he wants to be. In my case, seeds grow in spite of my hit and miss, very amateurish gardening. It's always so fun to gather the harvests!