On being a Mother

"A mother has perhaps

 the hardest earthly lot;

 and yet no mother worthy of the name

ever gave herself thouroughly for her child

who did not feel that, after all,

 she reaped what she had sown."

 

--Henry Ward Beecher

 

Today is Epiphany--- Pray that more Wise Men will be elected to Washington...

 

Epiphany is over, gifts are put away.

Even the Wise men have been put in their boxes to rest...

Although I wish we could make them alive and send them to Washington to talk so sense into our Congress, House of Reps, Senators, and President.

  "Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

 You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.  You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. 

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.  You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.  You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does. 

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

  Those human beings in "authority" spend much of their energy convincing us that what they did is not their fault.   I am not buying it.   Pray for the future of this country, and for the future of our children and grandchildren.

The Imperishable Wreath

 

“And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things

 They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”

 –I Corinthians 9:25

  New Year’s Day: 
 
     Tonight Mike and I took an Hour as we do every new year to reflect on the old and make plans for the new...
 to plan the coming year's strategy for our family mission.

 Sometimes, Mike said, he feels like we compete in a marathon in this life.  We are not only runners, but trainers, as we teach our children how to run so they will not become winded, and not retreat to the sidelines of defeat in life.  Every moment that is ticking away is potential training time.  In evaluating 2013, we are looking at how many hours we have spent together as a family per day. 

In those hours that we are together, how many minutes are spent in training our son in the
ways of the Lord? 

What about in Scripture?

 Godly Values? 

We are resolved to improve in these areas in 2014! 
Investing this kind of time and instilling these principles will equip our kid to cope with life. If you know him at all, you know that our son will surely run many of his own long races.

 This morning, Mike and I prayed for wisdom to adjust our schedules this coming year to spend even more time with "B."  We asked the Father God to show us how to best instill biblical principles that will ultimately take him across “the finish line,” and into Christ’s Kingdom!

 

Romans 12:2“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and Perfect.”

 

• Gayelynn Quigley likes this.
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• Natalie Anne Acri That was the best one ever
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  Blue BerryCottage Well thank you! I have some Coconut Delight to drop off at your house after Services tonight. Love you xoxoxox

   
• Natalie Anne Acri You are my big sister Dawn, my calm in the insanity, where when you know the Joes not here and just sit with me . I wish everyone knew how special you are!  Thank you for being my best friend,pray for me.
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Part 2 of our Bake-A-Thon Saturday...

 

 

 

 

Mike's Favorite

A tray to share with our neighbors

Can't wait to turn on a Christmas movie and brew more Hot Cocoa and taste some of these from our baking session earlier today.

 

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  Joe Barge Yum!!!! :-)

   
• Beatty Shaffer I wish I was your neighbor these cookies look really good.

   

Holiday Bake-A-Thon

 The most often-remembered times from my childhood are the days when we covered the tables, chairs, counters, and every other kitchen surface with Sugar Cookies.  I loved how my dear Mother let us take over (and possibly destroy) her kitchen-- just  one day a year--- to make those buttery-sweet cookies that smelled marvelous.

Here at Blue Willow Cottage, we take two Saturdays in December to re-create those precious memories and make some new ones.  "B" has his own Chef's Cap and Apron, and we make a fantastic MESS, making delicious goodies, & all the while, hoping these special moments will stick in B's memory like the one's of my colorful childhood.

I love the rich red color of this Red Velvet Cake Recipe, passed down from my Grandmother.

This year our first Saturday was dedicated to making 10 dozen Red Velvet Cupcakes for our Doctors, Dentist, Pediatrician, and the Mailman.  We make large trays and decorate the Cupcakes with Red and Green Sprinkles...  they are Dazzling!

 

The Cupcakes are cooling and soon ready for decorating

Our Resident Chef helps in the kitchen. 

 I love that he will be comfortable cooking for his wife and family one day, because he is already at home in the kitchen at age 10!



Ready for Delivery on Monday!

CommentShare

 

• Natalie Anne Acri I don't remember that, but thanks for the pictures, and memories I can make up . it's good you have a mind of the steel trap, and I mean that in the nicest way.

   
 
• Laura J. Chapman Baker We are on our way to ark for Christmas this morning. I hope you all have a nice time this Christmas and we will see you in the New Year. We love you all very much.

   

Make Room for Reading this Season! My picks for reading to children:

I love to give “my” children a special book for Christmas. I think it is a wonderful choice for a gift, especially because it will be shared over & over again, and not tossed to the side after a few hours, never to be touched again. Here are some books on my shopping list for those cherished darlings I love: 

 

 

 

The Christmas Gift, by Emily Arnold McCully (Harper Trophy Books, for ages 3 to 6 years)- this is a wordless book about an extended family of mice. The readers are in for a treat when they open this book about when a cherished Christmas present does not make it through Christmas day before it is broken (not an uncommon event in my home).

 

 

Another perenial favorite, The Tree that Came to Stay, by Anna Quindlen (Crown Publishers), will delight ages 4 through 9 years.

 

 

Ms. Quindlen is a Pulitzer Prize-Winning columnist for the New York Times, and this is her first children’s book. I love that it is about a resourceful mother who finds a way to keep Christmas alive all year round!

 

 

 

 

The Day Before Christmas, by Eve Bunting (Clarion Books), is best for ages 5-8. All children are drawn into this story about a special day in a young girls’ life: a train trip she makes with her grandfather to see her first production of “the Nutcracker.” The paintings that illustrate this book are magnificent, and the story is touching because many years ago, the grandfather made the exact same trip with the little girl’s mother, who is now passed on. Compassion is modeled in the girl, and heart strings are tugged all around in this poignant tale.

First Snow, Magic Snow, by John Cech, (Four Winds Press), is for ages 4-7.

For me as a child, the first snow was always enchanting, exciting, and a blessed event at our house. This book is based on a Russian folk tale called “The Snow Maiden.” A barren couple’s life is changed forever when a snow girl” built by one of them magically comes to life. In the spring, when the girl-child must suddenly leave with the melting snow, their love for her leads them north to a colder climate in an effort to keep her. This book really touched my heart the first time I read it, I suppose because at one time, I was a “barren woman,”  and because I KNOW what a tremendous blessing a child can be to a family who yearns for one!

Finally, Christmas Eve at Santa’s, by Alf Proysen (R & S books, distributed by Farrar, Straus, & Giroux), is best for ages 4-8.

 

This book comes to us from Sweden. A carpenter bumps into Santa one Christmas Eve, and Santa asks the Carpenter to go and make a visit to Santa’s Children at his home!  I hope this inspires others to cuddle up on the couch with your children and READ!!  You will never regret it. 

Proper Respect




Popping in for lunch is a nice surprise and
brightens my day

"The father must manage his own family well,
and see that his children obey him with proper respect.
 If anyone does not know how to manage his own family,

how can he take care of God's church?

--I Timothy 3:4-5

Our Papa manages our family well.

 I am so grateful for this.  He reads to us from the Bible at Breakfast, consistently goes to work to make money to provide for our needs, and loves us unconditionally.

 I love his sweet, calm nature.  I love when he calls me at lunch to say "hello" on work days.  I always pack a lunch for him, but sometimes he is out and about and drops by the house while running work errands. 

I love it when I am off and there, and can make him a special lunch! 

We respect him very much.