Lucy Etter, my grandmother, made this yo-yo top and long skirt for our bridal shower. Mine was green and she made one for a cousin that was pink. There was lots of hand-work that was put into this cherished set. We still have it. Can I still wear it? That would be a negative. This was 48 years and pounds ago!
Our daughter's family makes a skiing trip each year sometime after Christmas with her husband's mom's family. It is a joy to see them have such a fun time!!! The away grand-sisters.
It is happening! I am deep cleaning the house of Wall from top to bottom, one room a day. My body says that I am too old for this!
I do not enjoy cleaning the house. I will say, though, that the sweet memories attached to almost everything I touch are so very special. God always provides something wonderful to reflect on as I touch each piece.
Today, as I was cleaning, it was music boxes. There was the red apple from Nan Ballinger to our daughter and a car to our son. There was the moving butterfly box from Clinton's sister to our son. Then there are several Beatrix Potter ones, gifts to our once-upon-a-time toddler girl. There is the piano, a little wooden house, and a metal merry-go-round from my grandfather. Added to the metal collection are a sewing machine, a fire truck, and a little train through the mountains. A favorite is a little Swiss Chalet from Jo Lively to our daughter and a Cinderella pumpkin carriage from us for her wedding. There are others, and each one was listened to today!
We were talking about this photo of when we visited Enterprise, Alabama, where Sir Clinton was born. We knocked and asked if we could take a picture of his first home, where he lived as a young boy. They said yes and closed the door. It was close to Damascus Road, and we saw the Bollweevil monument when we drove around the town's circle.
We got a postal delivery, and look what was inside!
I am a vinyl collector, and since we have known Todrick Hall since he was a kid, I needed to add at least one of his works to the collection. I stepped into a "live" with him a week or so ago, and he was signing boxes of albums. I think he was having a friend party with him to help. What a job! Anywho, it is now filled under the letter T.
On Oz...
Our daughter has a lovely Madame Alexander doll collection!
My focus this Christmas season has been on Mary, the mother of Jesus. I decided to learn more about her and her place in this miracle story. I posted earlier about this wonderful Mary who was part of a vintage outdoor Nativity. Her halo was missing, and if anyone deserved to be recognized as worthy of a crown, it would be the Mother of Jesus. I wonder, as she prepared to give birth to the savior of the world, where her focus was. In my heart, I feel like she was totally trusting God. How could she not? I mean, this unfolding story of the Savior of the World being delivered by her...we can only imagine the depth of her faith.
“And what happened? Well, in Mary's heart, we might say – that her heart of faith grew three sizes that day. And then – the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the people found the Savior Jesus; it's true!
Mary's tears of joy I feel in the rain, knowing Jesus is washing away every hurt and pain. Christmas is the Birth of the Messiah, long ago promised, to save us in spite of ourselves.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise him, all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heav'nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
When you find a redheaded Mary, you pick her up and take her home! This Mary once sat in a nativity. When I saw that she was redheaded, I knew this was a rare find. The scripture says nothing specific about Mary's hair color, but let's consider where she was from ...
Mary was a Jewish girl living in Nazareth. She likely had brown or olive skin, dark hair, and eyes. We tend to form a picture in our minds through cultural context, and many icons across the world present a plethora of Marys.
And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. Luke 1:35
Mary was very brave and trusted God with all of her heart.
"Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." Luke 1:38
Mary had a deep and abiding faith.
And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. Luke 1:46-55
Mary was humbled and praised God for the great things he did for her.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19
Mary reflected.
"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Luke 1:46-47
Mary prayed.
We can learn a lot from Mary's story. This Mary, Mother of Jesus, yard figure will be a reminder to me!
It is simple, our wish for you. It's our choice to choose joy.
Ten things that Google knows to be true...
Google created this philosophy list near the start of its business journey, and it revisits the list on occasion to see if its belief system still rings true.
I saw this bracelet on a small business's social media share and decided I needed to get it.
The Ten Commandments of God are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship that play a fundamental role in our foundation of understanding our faith as Christians.
1 ... "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."... Exodus 20:3
2 ... "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image."... Exodus 20:4
3 ... "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."... Exodus 20:7
4 ... "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." ...Exodus 20:8–10
5 ... "Honour thy father and thy mother."...Exodus 20:12
6 ... "Thou shalt not kill."...Exodus 20:13
7 ... "Thou shalt not commit adultery."...Exodus 20:14
8 ... "Thou shalt not steal."...Exodus 20:15
9 ... "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."... Exodus 20:16
10 ... "Thou shalt not covet."...Exodus 20:17
Looking at these two sets of directives, I find both have meaningful value. We all fall short and have disappointed God by breaking the commandments. We are sinful people. Then, there is Jesus, the One born to save us from ourselves, forgiveness offered- redemption and eternal life—hope, joy, peace, and love.
In the Google list, when I enter my faith, who I am, and how I view the world, I am reminded to focus on the user...Jesus does this. He focuses on us, and in turn, we should focus on others. I know to be true the fact that when my focus is on God, everything else falls into place within me.
I don't do anything really well, much less really, really well. I need to work on this. But, the hub of what I might do well would start and end with Holy Spirit nudges.
Faster is better than slow. It reminds me that my time is so very short now since the government has labeled me a social security, and whether I move fast or slow, my days are numbered. What I do in them should be swift yet firmly fixed.
Democracy is of great value to the Church. The Church is for ALL people. Instead of pointing fingers at others' slip-ups, we should be a witness in ours.
Every day, we need answers to our questions. I find that every answer that holds merit is located in the Word of God.
You can make money without doing evil, and we can give with a pure heart when it is honest money.
If it is information, there is plenty of it swirling around our heads, but what we intake is who we are.
As Believers, we have access to so much information found in just one book, the Bible, that we can live our whole lives not knowing it all. It sure is sweet, though, when the veil of understanding is removed for us. Indeed, it is our responsibility to cross borders with what God shares with us so that others can know what we know. God is at work through us.
Suit, hose, hat, gloves ... torn jeans, t-shirt, no socks; it is our heart that God wants the best of.
It is true that great isn't good enough when it is of the world. God is great. That is a P-E-R-I-O-D. God
Wow, this is a random post. Sometimes I don't understand myself! Hey, they both have ten things!
Do we seek the Peace offered to us in meaningful ways? In Ephesians 5:19-20, we can understand how to fill our days: Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ...
Let your house sing praise~we can't be quiet~we must boldly go to share the joy that Christ Jesus has delivered unto us, this day, where we are.
In the storm, I will sing Joy to the World the Lord has come. My praises will be heard. Hope will rise. The King is alive!
(I do not own the rights to the music or lyrics to this piece)
There may be a mountain, but the mountain is climbable. In the darkness, there is light. In the hurting heart is the hope of the Lord.
In our hearts, Believers will always have the Love of Jesus - our Salvation and Hope. We may fall, but He is there to help us in our return to his loving arms.
The offering that comes in the Season of Christ's birth is breathtaking. Each person takes away something new. God is the author of our story. Be wise men.
Do you hear what I hear?
(I do not own the rights to the music or lyrics to this piece)
Our gift ... we are a living part of His story.
(I do not own the rights to the music or lyrics to this piece)