• Potpourri

    ♫ Green Shoe Studio

    In celebration of marriage, I want to share this beautiful story.  It’s a precious testimony of long love… a story of a man missing his wife, his precious wife of seventy-five years… which he says was a dream. From Green Shoe Studio:  A Letter from Fred

  • Devotionals - Faith - my story

    We’d Never Get Out of Bed; But God.

    Earlier this morning I was viewing a movie trailer (August: Osage County) and just before I closed the window, near the end of that clip, I heard the line: Thank God we can’t tell the future; we’d never get out of bed.” I’ve heard that line (or other similar lines) so many times through the years… and, sadly, I think I always heard and internalized its unspoken ending.  “Thank God we can’t tell the future; we’d never get out of bed [because it’s only going to be bad or because it’s not going to end up good].”  Strange how sayings…

  • family/friends events - Good Things & Gifts

    Anderson Family Farm

    Our friends, Rick and Kimberlee Anderson’s family business, Anderson Family Farm, is one of the nominees in the Audience Choice Award for one of  Martha Stewart’s features: American Made.   Would you consider taking a moment to vote for this family business as it will help them gain business exposure.  You may also want to help them in a “modern day barn raising” as they seek to move forward in expanding their family enterprise.   Thank you so much for your consideration.

  • Devotionals - Faith

    The Engrafted Word

    Many years ago, I had the great privilege of meeting, and then getting to know, the dear Florence Turnidge.  That meeting and subsequent friendship would become for me a living example and enduring encouragement.  Florence had such  a love for the Word of God and a zeal for the truth.  My only regret was not meeting her sooner — well, that, and not keeping the habit of regularly memorizing scripture.  To this day I find, stashed throughout our home, evidences of her ministry:  Bible memory cards — key verses printed on cards for memorization. After I began memorizing Scriptures, I…

  • Homemaking - Homeschooling - Letters to my Sisters - Letters to Sarah - Motherhood

    Motherhood: A Call to Carry On

    Carry on.  When you’re drop dead tired and there’re still several hours and as many chores left to do at the end of the day: Carry on.  When you have so much to do you don’t know how you’ll do it all: Carry on.  When you have so many needs to fill and seemingly not enough resources to fill them all: Carry on.  When you’re weary and successes are few and failures are many: Carry on.  When you feel all alone and as if no one cares for what you do: Carry on.  Carry on, Mother, carry on!  Motherhood’s a…

  • Devotionals - Gardening - Herbal Remedies

    The Provision of the Lord

    Marveling the sweetness of God and His provisions… our yard is filled with things that seem to be here for ‘whateverailsya’!!  Sweet that He would provide for me very specific herbs/remedies in abundance.       ♫ Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be. Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!  Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!Summer and winter,…

  • Potpourri

    Treading where…

    I wanted to go back and grab a couple of entries….  I’m linking back to these to show just how far society has gone in just a very short time.  In light of one of Voddie Baucham’s keynotes at the Christian Heritage Homeschool Conference this past weekend: ‘ Gay is NOT the new Black ,’ I’ve decided to repost a couple of things I originally posted in my blog in 2006. My desire is not to be sensational, alarmist or divisive, but to encourage very wise and careful thought and examination regarding the avalanche of lies, myths and social/societal manipulation. …

  • Family - Homemaking - Planner - Potpourri

    Chore sticks…

    A clean home is a happy home.  I know, I know, if ever there was a guilt inducing statement, that is it!  But, seriously, think with me for a moment… consider some of the very best homemaker feelings/accomplishments.  Doesn’t a ship-shape-top-to-bottom tidy give you a great feeling?  How about a thoroughly cleaned out garage, a freshly cleaned and ordered pantry, fridge or bedroom closet?  If you stop and think about these sorts of things, you’ll probably quickly remember how great it felt and how smoothly things seemed to run in your home.  Remember?  With the advent of our son getting…

  • Devotionals - Faith - Family - my story - Potpourri

    When God Intervenes

    Do you ever stop and wonder what the Lord has spared you from facing or what things He prevented or protected you from?  Have you ever wondered about ‘near misses’ or things that would have happened had God not intervened on your behalf?  I’ve been thinking about these sorts of things again today as I reflect on an incident that happened yesterday.  I’d changed the sheets and bedding and was just finishing tucking in the quilt when something caught on my shoe.  Looking down to see what it was, I could find nothing and so I got down to smooth…