new obsession.

My honey thinks I spend 'way too much time on Facebook. I don't really think so. I think it's because I'm "on" when he gets home, or in the evening. Then he imagines I've been on it all day, as well.

We go to a large church, so that when someone new comes on, my notification says "93 mutual friends" or "104 mutual friends"--all from church. So I do have a lot of posts in the newsfeed that either want prayer or relate funny things that happen to the family, whatever. When our special-needs baby Nettie was born almost two years ago, with Apgar scores of 0, 1, and 2, that prayer network on facebook was phenomenal.

Well, then there is Scrabble.

My favorite game, and Facebook has a version of it! I am currently playing 28 games, but only with about seven people. You can't just play one game at a time! Each "turn" takes one or two minutes, sometimes less, but not everybody plays every day. I try to play my games twice a day, morning and night, but like I said, sometimes I only have six or eight games running. Fifteen minutes, tops.

Until last Friday.

My sister had told me that one of my cousins had joined facebook. Although I had seen her a couple of times a year growing up, it has been at least thirty years since I had seen her. I "friended" her, and she told me that she had gotten a new computer and was going to upload my Grandma's photo albums to facebook. Her mother was Grandma's oldest daughter, so she got the albums before Grandma died, then when she passed, Jill got them.

So I decided to take an idea my sister had, and Just. Do. It. A number of years ago, my sister and sister-in-law were visiting my dear Auntie M in Washington State. The movie, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood was popular at the time. They decided to form a group called the Yo-Yo Sisterhood, and all of us who were Plasterer women, or married to a Plasterer man, could join. We have quite a number in my own birth family already, so when Auntie M would visit, we would go out to dinner and call it the Yo-Yo convention. She has passed, as has my other aunt (Jill's mom) and my own mother. My sister called me last week to talk about how all of our mentors are gone, and now *we* have to be the mentors. Not a bad thing, but even us Titus 2 types need Titus 2 women, you know?

So last Friday I made a Facebook Group called the Yo-Yo Sisterhood of Plasterer Women. I invited all the sisters and cousins and nieces I could find on facebook. If you are on fb, when you get invited to something, you get a notification, so all these girlies were aware that I started the page. WELL. Jill found me right away (within minutes) and so did Cheryl, another cousin whom I only see at funerals and such. My sister and my daughter Violet joined us moments later, and we Spent. The. Morning. on facebook. Jill was loading scores of photos, many from 1900-1920. Violet, who has scanned many of our own ancient photos, uploaded hers.

We also Spent. The. Afternoon. on facebook. Then, Saturday morning, I made a photo album of my great-grandmother's quilt. Sunday, I photographed all of my grandmother's quilts I own, and made another album. My sister made an album of Yo-Yo brides--I have my own, Forget-me-not's, and Lily's photos here on my desk, ready to scan and upload.

Well, the upshot of all of us looking and identifying photos, commenting on each other's posts (Cheryl's parents divorced during her childhood, and she had never seen her parents' wedding photos, and my sister's had been destroyed, but Grandma had some!) and catching up with 30+ years of history (yeah, we were all kids when we were last together, and now all of our kids are raised!!), well....

I Need To Get Some Housework Done.

But this all happened the day after my sister had called me. God answered immediately. We are re-connected with cousins that share the same blood, have had the same experiences, and we can share our wisdom not only with our children, but with each other.

Thank you, Lord, for this gift. (now, give me Supernatural Speed for the work I have to do!)

Quilt Projects Update.

I had written before about the four Sassy Girls quilts. These were four similar quilts for Blackeyed Susan and three of her friends, featuring the Sassy Girls fabric. I quilted Susan's, and tied the other three.

For Afro, Susan's boyfriend, I had an idea for more of an artsy quilt. A little black boy with a handful of balloons, who is out on a windy day, and gets caught up in a gust of wind. One of his balloons gets away from him, and he himself is beginning to be lifted off the ground:


The balloon that gets away is made of "ivy" fabric, which, if you have been paying attention lately, is symbolic of the high school that Afro graduated from. I also have a Pokemon balloon, and a patch from the Wildcat Baseball League. Susan and Afro actually played on the same team in sixth grade. Of course, I can't remember back that far, but Charming remembers Afro as a great pitcher. Notice also the "grass." The fabric is from Alexander Henry and is called "Everglades." The colors are absolutely astoundingly cool. I went back to the fabric store, and bought more fabric for the binding for the quilt.
If you can see it, click on the photo and look at the "swirls of wind" quilting I did.

Here is the back of the quilt, continuing my ongoing effort to Use Up Pieces of Fabric From My Stash. Here I used three pieces, and I used them all up! Altogether, with the five graduation quilts, I got rid of twenty-five yards of fabric out of my stash. The very, very sad thing, is that it hardly made a dent. Sigh.

************************************

Here we have a (Finally!! Finished!!) quilt that has been in the works for, oh, ten or twelve YEARS. I wrote about it already, as well, only I had underestimated the time I had been working on it.

Now, I gotta say, it looks really spiffy all quilted and stuff. And I really like that checkerboard border. But it still isn't me, you know?

So, it is a gift for a friend of many years, who has wanted one of my quilts. The pattern is called Rosebud. So I thought I maybe would name it Citizen Kane--you remember his sled was called Rosebud. Or, after the Dick Van Dyke Show episode about Richie's middle name being Rosebud. I couldn't find a YouTube for that episode, unfortunately. Poor Richie finds out his middle name is Rosebud, and is in despair until his Dad explains why. Now, I'm a little hazy on the details, maybe seven men help Laura get to the hospital or something. Anyway, there are seven men who are instrumental in Richie's birth, and Rob and Laura need to honor them for that. Their initials are R, O, S, E, B, U(llyses), and D(avid--thank you, Don Quixote, for that info!). Instead of seven middle names, Rob and Laura light on ROSEBUD.

Instead, since I took ten or twelve years to make this quilt, I'm just calling it Rosebud Journey.

Now, I'm in a pickle. I don't know what I'm doing next! I have a quilt that is in a "sandwich" (ready to quilt) but I don't feel like doing that one. I have a set of blocks that I made nine years ago, twins to MacGuyver's grad quilt, that I could put together. I could make a "mess" of dolly clothes--lots of ideas there. I know that Rocky Balboa and Tiny Dancer don't even have a Barbie-quilt yet. So, I guess the next thing is to Decide.

But first, I'm going to eat Lunch.

Update 10/11/11: There was a Dick Van Dyke Show marathon on tv last week, and they showed the Rosebud episode! The names were all grandfathers' names, and the names of their fathers and such. The names are Robert, Oscar, Sam, Edward, Benjamin, Ulysses, David--ROSEBUD!

Graduation.

Finally, Graduation Day! Because of extra snow days, graduation was postponed a week. Many of the parties (including Blackeyed Susan's) were last weekend. But the Day had finally come:

ready to go to the ceremony.

Alvin Fernald and Cheergirl.

Susan and Afro with Mr. Smith, their beloved principal until this year when he was transferred. Mr. Smith is an incredible man, and he goes to our church.

Susan and Mr. Holmes, the most incredible teacher ever. I blogged before about him here. Do you know the "Chuck Norris" jokes? Here's the latest: Do you know what happened when Chuck Norris went with the Navy Seals to root out Bin Laden? He found Mr. Holmes sitting there, drinking a Diet Pepsi. Yep. The stuff of Legend.

Best friends forever.

Next year will be the first time they have ever been separated since they started homeschooling together. Even the past two years in public high school, they shared teachers and friends. The very first day of school junior year, which was so difficult for Susan, she came home and ran to Alvin's room. She wanted her Buddy. An incredible blessing!

of course, we need yet another photo of Susan and Afro!

Congratulations, Norah.

Ivy Day.

Well, as you can see, I haven't posted for weeks. But that is how it is when we have a graduate--May and early June simply rush by with no time for anything but the baseball-six-days-a-week for the sophomore. And for the senior? The Awards Ceremonies. The Banquets. The Practices. The Thises and Thatses of Senior Year.

So let me tell you about Ivy Day. Ivy Day is unique to our high school, and there is nothing else to compare in our city, or our county. It has been celebrated since our high school opened in 1921. Each year, the police block off the street in front of the school. The seniors, in caps and gowns, parade around the school to the music of the marching band. They are preceded by the Ivy Queen and her court, in formals. They walk to the auditorium entrance, where the Ivy Day ceremony takes place. The Ivy Queen is crowned, and a pot of ivy is presented to the school, to (hopefully) grow up the sides of the school for a remembrance of this senior class. The senior choir members sing "The Halls of Ivy," and everyone sings the alma mater. Then we are dismissed to the cafeteria for breakfast (read: photo op for parents) before the seniors are dismissed for the day.

This year, it rained for Ivy Day, so everything was in the auditorium. Since there was no parade (although the seniors marched in to the music of the band, anyway--rah, rah, RAH!!) the seven girls on the Ivy Court did not know who had been chosen Queen. (tho' we who had programs knew because it said, Ivy Queen: Norah Kell*gg!!)

here is the Queen and her court.

my beautiful Royal Daughter.

Norah (Blackeyed Susan) and Alvin Fernald's girlfriend Hannah.

one of her besties, Megan.

one of Norah's first friends at public high school, another Hannah.

Being Ivy Queen is one of the highest honors bestowed for a senior. It is more prestigious than Prom Queen, because of the ninety-year tradition. And it is especially poignant to me, because Norah only began public high school as a junior. It is a blessing to me, that she has made her mark on the school.

I had thought Norah would wear her prom dress, but after discussion with the other girls, decided a different dress would be more appropriate. Fortunately, J.C. Penney's had a lot on their Clearance-Prom-Dress rack. Forget-me-not took her sister shopping, and found this beauty for $51.00:

and the back:

This will be a dress that she can wear for four years at college, for Christmas Banquets and other formal occasions. A good investment. And hand-washable/line dryable!

"The Halls of Ivy," sung by the Notre Dame Glee Club:

http://youtu.be/m-uG_qetEJE

Well, this proud Mommy will sign off for now, and will post more Graduation Stuff later this week!

Beautiful Prom People.

Prom was last night! The last week 'bout to drove me crazy, as every "prom" week has. Ordering flowers, then *remembering* to pick up flowers--hard for me this year--hair appointments, and on and on. But, of course, it was all worth it--we girls love us some prom stuff!!

Alvin Fernald and his girlfriend Cheergirl. Sorry 'bout Alvin's goofy grin--I was only able to grab two quick photos before they were off to the park to meet friends for another photo shoot.

Okay, Cheergirl's dress was incredibly fantastic--and in charcoal grey, no less! Fabulous. I wish I had noticed that her orchid wrist corsage was not visible--I could have had them turn the other way. By the way, did you notice that Alvin is wearing a suit and not a tux? I am on a big campaign of Poor High School Boys Should Not Have To Rent A Tux, It's Not Their Wedding. They already have to do a corsage (3x the price of a boutonniere) and dinner. The girls argue, "but we have to buy an expensive dress!" But, girls, you get to Keep the Dress.

Okay, I'm putting my soapbox away.

Here are Blackeyed Susan and her boyfriend Afro (no, that is really his nickname). I made his vest and nifty bowtie from the leftover fabric from Susan's dress. It [the dress] is made from a 1950s pattern, and is in orchid taffeta. When Susan tried it on, she said, "Mom, it makes noise when I walk." Exactly. The. Point. Taffeta was perfect for this dress.

Rustle, rustle.

I made last year's prom dress for Susan. This year I paid our beautiful friend Esther to make it for me. You must, Must, MUST check out her blog. She comes from a family of artists, and has already won awards for making a prom dress from paper bags and one from aluminum foil. Designer, seamstress, she is the whole package. She did change the neckline on Susan's gown from simply "draped" to sweetheart.

Aah, the flowers! Afro's mother got these gorgeous orchids made into a barrette. Can I let you in on a little secret (don't think me tacky.): These were "day-old" orchids, that retailed for fifty dollars, and she got them for fifteen.

I know I've never worn fifty dollars worth of flowers in *my* hair!

Happy couple, beautiful smiles.

Susan wavered between wearing rhinestones and pearls (I was leaning toward pearls, as we had a pair of my mother's pearl screw-on earrings--remember those?) But she landed on the butterfly necklace that was a gift from Afro.

kinda neat: they wore matching Toms shoes. You may know Toms as the company that gives away a pair of shoes to a child who has none, for every pair you buy.

I'm sayin', Hooray for flats! I'm going to suggest them for her wedding, as well.

of course, granddaughters Laura Carrot and Sweet Pea *had* to come over and share in the Princess fun. Decorum was not part of the program, however.

Today's plan is Rest. Recuperation. and Dishes.

Just a reminder that next Monday is

Wear Your Apron Day!!!

To get you in the mood, check out an older post about Apron Day Fun.

See you there for Apron Day!

It all depends upon your point of view.

My son Joe Hardy posted on his facebook page on Monday:

"One of the craziest, busiest, and most impactful weekends in (recent) history! A royal wedding, beatification of the late Pope John Paul, and what happened with Osama bin Laden...all in one weekend! Let us not let these things distract us from the truth: Jesus is coming soon! Stay awake, Church!"

This was Charming's reaction to his post:

"Wow. I went to work Friday, woke up Saturday and went to work, woke up Sunday and went to work [he works one Sunday a month], woke up Monday and went to work. I didn't even hear about the Pope thing."

But, he went on to say:

"But there is another Royal Wedding coming, and I am part of the Bride! And, at that time, we will all be "beatified." And, at that time, the worst terrorist of all time will be chained forever!"

Look at the three points of view, here. The World was watching all of these events, and calls them Important. World-changing. The news networks have never-ending stories of every conceivable twist and turn of each event. Yet, the entire worldwide panorama happened, and not one event impacted Charming's life, personally. Most of our lives went on without interruption (after the wedding, of course!)

but...

When those Final Events happen, the World will stop and notice. Every single life will be affected. It will be of greatest importance with which side you are aligned. Truly, truly, "life or death" will be decided.

Because of our busy lives, and the inundation of media 24/7, we sometimes do not see things as they really are, in relation to our own lives; I'm speaking of our "real" lives. That's another thing we need to re-examine, perhaps: of what does our "real" life consist?

Can we take a few minutes this week, to Stop, Look, and Listen? Stop and Look at our lives, and how we are filling them. Charming has a great saying: We need to learn to Live Deliberately. And then we need to Stop and Listen to our Father, for He can tell us how to change our lives. He is the One who is "conforming us to the image of His Son." Is our non-stop life getting in His way?

Sassy Girls Quartet Finished.

This is sort of an odd photo. I laid my finished quilt out across the couch, and took a photo from farther away. It didn't look right, so I "turned" the photo on my computer. Now it still looks wonky-jawed:

...but you can see the entire thing.

I call this quilt (and three others that I made for Blackeyed Susan's friends) Sassy Girls. That is the name of the cute fabric here. Click on the photo to see it more easily.

(it is the fabric that is not the horse fabric.)

"Sassy" describes Susan and her friends perfectly.

*and* Susan loved horsies and horsey books when she was smaller.

Here you can see, not quite so large (photographer I am *not*) a gorgeous ballerina fabric, some music fabrics (Susan wanted "lots of ballet and lots of music" in her quilt), and a fabric commemorating September 11, which is unfortunately part of our children's lives. All of the Sassy Girls have a piece of that in their quilts:

(even though Susan does not play piano, she loved the "keys" fabric.)

Our high school, which opened in 1921, has celebrated "Ivy Day" every year since it opened. All of the seniors parade down the street in front of the school, and the Ivy Queen and her court present a pot of ivy to the school, to be planted and (hopefully) begin climbing up the sides of the building. So I put ivy fabric in two corners:

Love tradition. South Side is the only high school in town that has any tradition this cool. They also have real-live china that is embossed S/S that they use, with a silver punch bowl, for special occasions.

I have two "nutcracker" fabrics in the quilt, commemorating Susan's six or so times she participated in our city's production:

More ballet fabric, and some baseball fabric, on top of which I sewed the patch from her baseball hat. I don't remember this, tho' everybody else in the family does, but Susan played on the same team as her boyfriend in fifth and sixth grade:

... and check out that Kellogg's fabric. How cool to have a fabric with your last name on it?

The fabric on the left below says Gracie (Susan's real middle name is Grace. I found a "blackeyed Susan" fabric just before I quilted this section, so I ripped out a square and replaced it. She shares that nickname with her grandmother:

Cubs. 'nuff said.

The "roses with stripes" in the top of the photo below is left over from a dress I made Susan when she was a baby. The red and white "how do I love thee? let me count the ways" fabric is what I used to back Johnny Tremain and Lily's wedding quilt. I love putting the same fabric in lots of things, just as my Grandma did. I used to love finding them in different quilts in our home.

I found three yards of a cute pink ballet fabric at the store. That is enough to cover half of the back of the quilt, so it does.

Another fabric on the back is ballet tutus with the names of famous ballets: Swan Lake, Coppelia, etc. On the left, the purple and green diamonds fabric was the backing to Rocky Balboa and Forget-me-not's wedding quilt:

...and more soldiers because of the Nutcracker thing.

Susan's quilt is quilted, and her three friends' are tied. And now, all they need are their labels:

Sassy Girl: Norah

Sassy Girl: Maddi

Sassy Girl: Hannah

Sassy Girl: Brittany

I really, really had fun with these. Thanks for looking!

A red-letter day.

Oh, my.

Norah Grace

I had such a hard, hard time yesterday morning.

I woke up crying, and cried all through the morning. All because my sweet Blackeyed Susan turned eighteen.

When we had six-in-eight-years, then almost ten years later had Susan and then her brother Alvin Fernald, I figured the last two were supposed to go more slowly. So that I could savor each and every day. Well, darn it, time didn't slow down. Susan's childhood went just as quickly as the others.

What a precious privilege it is to be her mother. So many things stored away in my heart that I can remember and laugh or cry over. Even the fight we had the night before her birthday will be softened when next I think of it. (it wasn't a biggie...)

I bought a beautiful card with sappy sentiments (yeah, I cried through the entire card display--possibly not a good time to buy a card, kinda like "don't go to the grocery when you're hungry" sort of thing), and then forgot to give it to her! We watched some trash-tv together (Say Yes to the Dress, Cake Boss, Project Runway) and that evened me out, emotionally. We looked online for fabrics for her prom dress. We had steak-and-mushrooms for her birthday dinner. (She's an expensive girl: her brother MacGuyver always wanted pancakes for his birthday dinner.) We had all the grandkids over to sing Happy Birthday and have a piece of cake. Alvin bought Susan her junk-food trifecta: Flamin' Hot Cheetos, Mountain Dew, and a Reese's pb cup. Her boyfriend bought her two lottery tickets because she was 18--hey, she won 50 cents! Kind of a quiet day, and that was okay for me. I still have to endure graduation!

I'll leave this with the sentiment on the card I did *not* buy:

It's your 18th birthday!

Now you can Vote!

Now you can sign a Contract!

Now you can get Married!

(open)

Looks like you've got a very busy day ahead of you!

April is Poetry Month

I kinda planned to post a poem today, being the first day of Poetry Month, but I found a wonderful link from The Common Room. So go there, be blessed, and I'll look for something to share next time!

Nothin' much.

I see that it is many days since I have blogged. I keep waiting for something interesting to happen to me, to write about. Of course, when nothin' much is happening, that's okay, too. "No news is good news," you know.

I've spent the last ten or eleven days suffering with a lower back problem. This is not something I am used to--bless the Lord, I have not had the lower back problems (or other things, such as migraines) that plague so many people. Chronic pain? Not a part of my life.

I did something biggie to my back, tho'. I went to the chiropractor, who predicted four visits to get this in order. My first visit, I rated my pain 8-9, on a scale of 10. Yesterday, I told him it was down to a 3, with about 85% improvement. Praise the Lord for chiropractors! Non-invasive treatment, with alternating heat and ice did the trick. (okay, I did 'bout go through a bottle of ibuprofen..) My sister, who does essential oils, told me to rub lavender oil on the places where I had spasms. All good stuff! Today, I'm doing laundry--what a treat when I have been unable for going-on two weeks.

Other than that, we are at the time of year when things start to heat up, as far as the schedule goes. Blackeyed Susan's graduation, Alvin Fernald with his newly minted driver's permit. I have a huge problem with my new cellphone account, that I will have to fix face-to-face with someone. A flat tire on my van that I need to take care of today. All those things that take me out of the house anyway, and I'd rather be "spring cleaning."

But I've had my coffee, checked my facebook, and am ready to go! Have a wonderful Tuesday!!

My Daddy can fix anything.

I stole this facebook post from my friend Wende, who had spent some time in our church's prayer room:

"Comfy couch, soft fuzzy blanky, quiet prayer room and the best part: the Lord wrapping His arms around me, whispering to me to rest in Him. Just letting ya know the Prayer Room is all prayed up for those who are weary! Run to Him and He will give you rest."

Isn't that sweet? I especially love the phrase "the Prayer Room is all prayed up." Imagine if I get up extra early, with my coffee and my Bible, and have a precious time with the Lord. Then, when Honey gets up, I say, "the couch is all 'prayed up.' Come, and welcome!"

I had a dear friend many years ago, who told me that she always pictured herself climbing up into her Father's lap, in a big rocking chair, sharing her highs and lows, as well as her requests. Our four-year-olds have this down pat: Daddy, Daddy, Daddy! and running into his arms. Whatever the boo-boo, whatever the crisis, whatever the need, our little ones know where to run. And they don't waste any time doing it.

I know I'll be running to Him today. How about you?

Snow day.

Another snowstorm today. It began about 1:30 am, as predicted, already four inches on the ground. Wind will make it worse, but we are snugged in tight. Charming is on vacation, schools are closed. I am sorry that Blackeyed Susan is ill; Alvin Fernald is finally over it. It is running rampant through the schools, a combination of sore throat and chest cough.

(I wish I could have slept past 5:30 am, though.)

I took a free Word 2007 class this week, and got a 96% on the test. I'm trying to update my computer skills, to make me more marketable, job-wise. Not that I desire to work outside the home; I am completely satisfied to be Suzy Homemaker. But since Charming is making $20,000 less than he was five years ago, we have to hold out my working as a possibility. *If* I can get a job!

I have finished one of four "Sassy Girls" quilts I'm making for graduations this spring. Susan's will be quilted; her three friends' ones will be tied. I've finished one of the tied quilts, and am basting Susan's. The other two are ready to lay out, to make the quilt "sandwich." But I do that at Lily's house, and, well, the snow...it'll wait!

Still working on re-organizing my Fabric Mountain. Since much of my fabric is in my basement, it is easy to leave, and go back to as is convenient. I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, though, and am anxious to get the rubbermaids stacked up against the wall, all nice and neat!

But before that, COFFEE. Sorting laundry. Writing a letter to my sister. My "normal" Friday stuff. I'm thinking bean soup and cornbread for supper. Maybe some Waltons on the dvd player. A quiet Friday night will be a novelty!

Hope you have a nice "snow day," if that is happening where you live. And "someday," we'll see spring, right?

Cornflake S. Pecially for Violet

Music.

Isn't it *wonderful* how hearing a certain song can take you right back to a particular place in your life? Most of the time it is a happy place. The other night, I was driving home with Blackeyed Susan, and listening to the Oldies (70's) station on the radio. "Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan came on. All of a sudden I threw the volume button 'way up: Susan! This was my favorite song in the spring of my senior year! In fact, it was *everybody's favorite song!* Everybody rolled down their windows and sang along when it came on!

[I could say the same thing about food. Just thinking about my grandma's chicken and noodles takes me right back...but that is a discussion for another day. This is about Music.]

We also learn things through music. I don't think we could begin to count how many things we have learned through a song. ABC's--hello. But this morning I was thinking about a Special Song by a Special Man--Mr. Rogers.

You are my friend

You are special

You are my friend

You're special to me.

You are the only one like you.

Like you, my friend, I like you.

In the daytime

In the nighttime

Anytime that you feel's the right time

For a friendship with me, you see

F-R-I-E-N-D special

You are my friend

You're special to me.

There's only one in this wonderful world

You are special.

You are Special

by Fred Rogers

@1967

Besides being an awesome song, it was also a teaching song. My daughter Violet (who has not only a Masters degree in English, but also placed third in a national spelling bee), not only learned to spell the word "friend" with the song, but still sings the song every time she writes the word...Friend.

I have to admit, I do, too. Thank you, Mr. Rogers.

Here is a link to a video. Just click on the little tv icon:

You are Special

Have a Special Day.

an Uncommon book.

"Every family ought to be...a little church, consecrated to Christ and wholly influenced and governed by His rules. And family education and order are some of the chief means of grace. If these fail, all other means are likely to prove ineffectual."

--Jonathan Edwards

I am reading Marriage to a Difficult Man: the Uncommon Romance of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards. I don't even have any words to describe how much I am loving it, and I'm not even to page 100 yet. I'll be writing more about it in the days to come, but I wanted to share this quote today.

The concept of "family education and order" being a "chief means of grace" is one that I could meditate on for years. I used to hear about something being a "means of grace," during my Catholic-upbringing years. Grace, of course, being God's "unmerited favor." Now, if I had to choose anything that my home has *not* been, it would be one of Order. Probably my biggest struggle, nope, Definitely my biggest struggle. But I think we did pretty well on the "family education" front. I look at my six grown children (really, people, there are eight--the last two are almost-eighteen and sixteen) and am pleased at how they turned out. But I readily admit that I am too-much married to the world and not to the Kingdom. Lots of work to do there. I really do need to take down all those "no trespassing" signs I've put in God's way.

I am thinking that this book is very timely for me. Sarah Edwards managed to raise eleven children while being married to a famous preacher, with all that entailed. (for instance, before the days of reputable inns, travelers preferred to stay at the homes of the local preachers. Many times Sarah hosted multiple guests at once, and often. There is no complaint of "busyness" I could manage to use as an excuse that would come close to what she had in her life, to account for my lack of discipline.

So, it's back to the book, and I will share as I go along!

Busy today...

I have not worked outside the home for sixteen years, so I am eligible to avail myself of some state-sponsored classes, at no cost. My last formal computer class was WordPerfect 2.1 (with white letters on a black screen), so the opportunity to take all of the Microsoft Office Suite is exciting.

Today's offering is PowerPoint. I've only done one powerpoint in my life, and that was with a tutorial (add photo NOW, click here NOW, you get the picture). The class is all-day, 8:30-4:30.

Next week I have a class, "Navigating the 2007 Ribbon." I'm told it's the "new toolbar." My PowerPoint runs with the Ribbon, so I will have some experience already. On the 21st I have Excel. I have never ever made a spreadsheet; should be interesting. The 23rd is Word--a place with which I'm much more familiar. The week after that I have Publisher, and then Access (don't even know what that is for!) is in several sessions through the end of the month.

Then I'll be ready for a new computer! Honey?

Update: I had to make a seven-slide PowerPoint presentation and "pass" to get a certificate. I got a 95%!! Yeah for me!

Five years.

Today marks five years since my precious Mother went home to be with the Lord.

Oh, how I miss her! She was my Mommy, after all, and how do you live without your Mommy? I remember, after getting married, calling her every time I got sick. I wished she could come take care of me, but knowing that she couldn't, I wanted her to *know,* anyway. She was always sympathetic, and told me to rest and drink plenty of liquids. Yeah, I already knew that, but needed to hear it from her.

One post would not be adequate to write my feelings about her, of course. Her love, her wisdom, her love of Scrabble (which I share!), her faith--all so much a part of my life, a part of who I am. I know that many women don't have a good relationship or any relationship at all, with their mothers; that makes me sad. I had the most wonderful mother! What an incredible blessing from the Lord!

So, if you still have your mother, give her a hug and kiss for me today, won't you?

The Great Snowstorm of '11, in which we dodged the bullet....

It looks like we dodged a bullet with the great snowstorm. Yesterday, they were predicting 8-15 inches of snow overnight. By the time I went to bed, they had lowered it to 1-3 inches. And I'm not sure we got even that. We *did* get the "wintry mix" of snow and freezing rain, with high winds, starting about 4pm, through the evening. I was happy to see Charming get home safely!

This morning, we are under a Level One snow emergency, which means that only emergency vehicles are allowed to be on the roads. So Charming will not be going into work, at least "on time," this morning.

I got up too early this morning, so "going back to bed" is definitely on the list. Or maybe just a long nap...I would also like to get back to my "organizing my fabric" project. I started it three weeks ago, and never got back to it. Being in the basement, I can leave-it-and-come-back-to-it, but I can't seem to get back to it! I think it will be a nice project for a Snow Day.

I'd love to share a link from Little Jenny Wren. Beautiful thoughts for a Slow-down Day. Enjoy!

I'm out visiting today...

...over at Fresh Starts. Come on over!

Relationship evangelism.

"Grace was no insistent evangelist, flinging her message out and demanding an answer. She breathed the fragrance of Christianity in her smile, and her words came involuntarily from a heart that thought much "on these things."

--Grace Livingston Hill, Re-Creations.