God has plans - not problems - for our lives.

"Before she died in the concentration camp in Ravensbrück, my sister Betsie said to me, “Corrie, your whole life has been a training for the work you are doing here in prison - and for the work you will do afterward.”

~ Corrie Ten Boom

I work for a King.

"I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home.

When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting.

 I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him.

Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation.

 How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him."

--Lydia Sherman

The Vintage in my Garden...

From nozzles and shears, 

 to watering cans, I can't resist any vintage item

of a gardener's tool box!    

I not only collect old garden accoutrements--

I use them, too. 

My Garden is for the children, and also for my future grandchildren, I hope.  I think that the earlier one learns to garden, the more pleasure one gleans from life!





My little paradise has a definite whimsical side.  There are intricate folk art birdhouses tucked here and there, and rabbit figurines, along with frog statues.

 When he was little, I taught my son to plant seedlings and prepare the soil.  Now he knows how important it is not to step on the little sprouts striving to live.


 Next Spring I plan to start a "Tee Pee of Peas" with Bamboo rods for children-hiding from the sun, or playing in with family, or friends during play dates.

  The children get such pleasure from picking the corn, peas & tomatoes, and tasting them.

 The highpoint of any visit in the garden is

when I distribute the garden scissors

and invite the little ones to cut their own flowers,

 and then arrange them

in vases on the covered porch. 

 I don't worry that the blooms will be depleted, because cutting my flowers only causes more to bloom!

Genesis 1:29 -

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed,

which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree,

in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed;

to you it shall be for meat.

Fish Friday

     

 In the first century, Jews fasted on Mondays and Thursdays.    The original Christians were all Jewish,  and were accustomed to fasting as a spiritual discipline. Most often that fast took the form of avoiding meat in the diet. In those days, meat was a luxury food.  Because most people had to buy meat in the market back then, it was expensive.  But anyone could grow vegetables or forage for them, and anyone could catch a fish in a lake or a stream. So the poor could still eat without much money.   Meat was known as a rich man's food, and fish was thought of as poor people's food. That is why the most common form of fasting was to omit meat with the exception of fish.

Although not done for religious reasons, our family nearly always eats fish on Friday.  In Arkansas, our fish came to us without monetary cost, we simply caught it in the Little Red River.  Our freezer always overflowed with the catch of the weekend.  Now that we are city-folk in PA, we must buy our fish at the market.  Not only do we not have time to fish, the fish in the local rivers are fraught with mercury and toxins. 

And so, this evening, we sat in our lawn chairs and watched Blaine and the neighborhood children catch fireflies, waiting for the fish to cook. 

Then John's disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”      Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.” —Matthew 9:14-15

f

Mike grilled Rosemary Haddock

and Fried Green Tomatoes, with "Boardwalk" Fries 

Historically, first century Christians did resume fasting
after Jesus’ Ascension,
 moving the fasts to Wednesday
(the day of the betrayal)
and Friday
(the day of the crucifixion).


Nothing in the Bible actually requires us to fast,
however,
 Jesus did assume that believers were fasting. 
"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do,
for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting... " 
Mt. 6:16

^"Then John’s disciples came and asked him,
'How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often,
but your disciples do not fast?”

^" Jesus answered,
'How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them?
The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them;
 then they will fast."

-Matthew 9; 14-15

Fasting from Sundown on Tuesday to sundown
on Wednesday
is something the I do on occasion,
although I hope no one can tell I am fasting. 

Living Beautifully Every Day

The last snow of the Season, 2014 March

It is so important to incorporate beauty and love into our lives;  so that even the most mundane of chores is in some small way elevated and validated as a daily ritual of beauty.     

                Our home is vibrantly lived in, and loved.

 We like to think we live "Romantically" here in
Blue Willow Cottage.

To me, romantic living is thoughtful, beautiful, and deliberate.

If one decides to embrace it, all days will be truly LIVED, not just "passed."

Dry Leaves...

After a particularly challenging day yesterday, my son,

noticing my less than cheery demeanor, took me by the hand,

leading me to the TV.   He pointed out the little quote I

had pasted on the front 3 years ago.  This is what it said:

     "In every person who

comes near you look for what is

good and strong,

honor that, try to imitate it

and your

faults will drop off

like dry leaves

when their time comes."

- John Ruskin

Away in a Manger... Christmas Eve