Entering Advent

(Imagine a straw advent wreath with a red plaid ribbon.)

“Betwixt us and God there is no between.” ~Julian of Norwich

...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
~Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV)

Excellent Article on Entering Advent

My Giving Thanks List

Following Leah's good example, I'm putting my list into a blog post so that I'll know what I shared and it will be here to find. Thanks, Leah!

My Giving Thanks List

1. The Love of God
2. The gift of a wonderful husband
3. A family that includes parents, a grandmother, a daughter, a son, a daughter-in-law, two delightful grands, a sister, two nieces, and all of John's family, too...
4. The privilege of voting
5. A warm bed
6. Chipping away at a task really does work
7. Skillful doctors
8. Quiet, rainy Saturdays
9. Quiet, rainy Sundays
10. Waiting on the Lord
11. For all those who have served in the armed forces
12. Sunny Days and Moonlit Nights
13. Heating Oil
14. Pets, especially cats...
15. Sweet little surprises
16. Hot coffee
17. hobbies
18. Good advice
19. Fun
20. gum
21. Fresh air
22. Leisurely Saturday mornings
23. Enough
24. pumpkin frost
25. The first snow
26. Helpers
27. Laughter
28. Plenty
29. New fallen snow
30. You! ♥

An After Thanksgiving Picture Story

Gotta get busy as we're doing it all over again at six tonight!

Hope that you all had a wonderful holiday and enjoy those leftovers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Been saving this beautiful Thanksgiving card from Kari to wish you Happy Thanksgiving by...it says it all. Many blessings to you and yours on this Thanksgiving Day! I am richly blessed by your friendships. ♥

To everyone else...Happy Thursday!

A New Winner

Nancy of My Crafty Little Page is the new winner! Thanks, Nancy! I have your addy and I'll send it along today.

God bless those who are making preparations for Thanksgiving. I know how crazy busy you all are! Speaking of which...

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So here's my table all set and ready for tomorrow...

(Imagine a Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Table.)

What? You don't believe me?! Shoot! Since Martha started labeling all her photos, I just can't get away with these tricks anymore.

Okay, so here's my table with its painter cloths as tablecloths, the gold and silver chargers, the nametags, and the runner created from a four yard length of cheap cloth. Oh, and those are my 67 cent pumpkins.





Did you happen to notice the napkins? I've driven myself crazy looking for napkins and finally settled on these...cheapo!

No, we don't have a table that large. John was able to create a surface using quarter inch luan plywood; he even rounded the corners. It's going to be very nice having the family all seated together at one large table.

Wishing you lots of fun as you bake, cook, and clean your way through Thanksgiving Eve!

Time Keeps Slipping Away

Thanksgiving is coming in just two days. Two?!! I think I'll just keel over now. Time is definitely running out and I'm beginning to run around like the proverbial chicken with her head cut off. Now that really is an unfortunate simile given the holiday. ;>

Let's see, the silver has been cleaned.


Its case has been fixed.



The painter cloths that I'll be using for tablecloths are in the washer. (Yes, I did make those drapes and they came out great. I may become the painter cloth queen if I keep coming up with things to do with them.)

The china still needs washing; the house still needs cleaning; the baking still needs doing; and I'm sure that I'm forgetting something. Oh, but I didn't forget the turkey as that's been thawing since Saturday. Yes, of course, in the refrigerator!

Speaking of time running out...CurtissAnn, where are you? If this winner doesn't come forward by seven tonight EST, I'll be drawing another name. Joy, your package is on its way!

Hoping that this evening I'll be able to sit down, put my feet up, and have the time to enjoy a relaxing moment. Hope that you all do, too!

Winners!

Now what? You never know what I'm going to have that man up to next. Poor guy was up and down the ladder so many times getting that hornet nest in just the right spot.



He even had to take a nap.


(Oh yes! We made sure that nobody was home.)


He had just enough energy to play "The Hand." :D

Congratulations to Joy of Books and Life and to CurtissAnn who doesn't yet have a blog. Ladies, please get in touch via my email addy located in my profile with all pertinent information and I'll send your sweet smelling prizes right along. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Oh, thought you'd like to see where that nest landed in the end...

Psalm 136:26

My Personal Bible

Cabinet Painting After All

All this talk of painting cabinets and don't you know I had to go and paint one. As for the kitchen cabinets, not at this time.

This cabinet was a gift from dear friends who were married around 1940. They purchased a dining room set about that time and this is the only piece left. They gave me the buffet, the table, the chairs, and this. I had no idea what to do with the gift as I found the set too dark and too big. The buffet was dispatched as quickly as I could. Now I see all sorts of them on gals' blogs beautifully painted and looking fantastic. The table broke and went on its way. All the chairs, save for one, did as well. So this is all that remains. In its original state it was a deep, deep brown. What you see here represents my sister's and my feeble attempts to do something, anything, that would make it more presentable. I haven't liked it much either. So last night I decided to tame down the panels.








From what I'm seeing in these pictures...pictures reveal things in clearer ways sometimes...it's going to get some more taming down. Perhaps once January comes, it'll get the ale or the poppy treatment. (See earlier in the week's post on painting kitchen cabinets.) In the meantime, I'll tame this down one more time, then trace the words "Give" on the left side and "Thanks" on the right side. Look for it in a future post.

Are you all crazy busy with Thanksgiving plans? I've shopped twice this week. Why doesn't Wal*Mart carry everything one could need? I had to visit Shaw's to purchase those small white onions that my family loves. This morning finds me making place cards. It's so much easier when each person knows where s/he is sitting.

Don't forget Karen's A Christmas Fair tomorrow! I've been busily planning that, too.

Have a great Thursday!

Edited to Add: Found a font that I liked, printed it off, traced it on the cabinet, and painted over the top of the tracing. I like the "give." Hate the "thanks." Sigh. If the river wasn't so cold, I'd consider pitching myself off the bridge. There's always more paint. %/ Sigh.





Edited to Add AGAIN: Friday, November 21, 2008 @ 10 am...

And the saga continues...

Last night, I was wailing explaining about my dilemma. John, bless his heart, came to the rescue.



I couldn't understand what had gone wrong, but now see that I was not faithful to the font. I had struck off on my own. There's a lesson here somewhere!



At last, some success!



Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions. Next time, I will follow them! For a while, I thought that I might paint the word "up" instead.

Best wishes to A Woman Who Is who happens to be in the throes of this right now. :D Hope that she blogs about it!

How You Live

How You Live

Wake up to the sunlight
With your windows open
Don't hold in your anger or leave things unspoken
Wear your red dress
Use your good dishes
Make a big mess and make lots of wishes
Have what you want
But want what you have
And don't spend your life lookin' back

Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
You won't regret it
Lookin' back from where you have been
Cuz it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

So go to the ballgames
And go to the ballet
And go see your folks more than just on the holidays
Kiss all your children
Dance with your wife
Tell your husband you love him every night
Don't run from the truth
'Cause you can't get away
Just face it and you'll be okay

Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
You won't regret it
Lookin' back from where you have been
'Cause it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

Oh wherever you are and wherever you've been
Now is the time to begin

So give to the needy
And pray for the grieving
E'en when you don't think that you can
'Cause all that you do is bound to come back to you
So think of your fellow man
Make peace with God and make peace with yourself
'Cause in the end there's nobody else

Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
'Cause you won't regret it
Lookin' back from where you have been
'Cause it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

'Cause it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you live

~Point of Grace

Mother Makes the Front Page

Yesterday afternoon, while visiting with my mother and grandmother over a cup of Crème brûlée coffee (delicious!), my mother asked, "Did you know that your mother made the front page?" (My mother often speaks of herself in the third person.) Well, no. No, I had not. John dug out the paper from the recycling bin this morning. I hope that we can be forgiven for having missed it.

Apparently, last Veteran's Day (a week ago) filled with honors and activities finally got her the acclaim that she so well deserves. She's been following my dad around for years so I find it amusing that she makes the photo and he, who is obviously seated to her right behind all those who are standing, does not. Geeze, I hope that he wasn't on his keister during the flag review. :D

Oh, can't see the picture so well? *Here's* a much better look.

Edited to Add: Hahahaha, I just noticed the camera in her hand...she holds it like a teacup. Hahahahahaha...Mom, did you know that your daughter laughs at how you hold a camera?

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Thank you to everyone who left a comment yesterday. I received good advice and lots of helpful tips. If you are considering a kitchen cabinet painting job, you might want to check them out.

Oh, I am waiting...I'll do a good scrubbing and perhaps give Lovella's and Jan's ideas a go. And a collective cheer was heard across Blogland...

Projects

My head is just spinning. Perhaps it's ADD or some malady that strikes women of a certain age. Whatever it is, I know that I am restless and fidgety as if I need to get completely involved in something. There are a number of projects at hand, which I'd like to discuss this morning with you.

First up are my kitchen cabinets. I'd like to paint them and have been thinking about it for weeks. This week, it seems most urgent that they get done because I am hosting the family for Thanksgiving next week. NEXT WEEK! Do you think that I could possibly have decided to do this at a worse time? Please talk me out of it; John almost has. They've been this way for 14 years and it's looking pretty tired; I'd feel so good about having them freshly painted. It's just that one thing leads to another and the wallpaper would need to be refreshed since I can not afford to have tile or beadboard installed and then...

I'm still pondering colors. I like both these colors from Maine Cottage...

(As I have provided, at no benefit to me whatsover, a perpetual link to Maine Cottage, I feel perfectly justified in sharing these pictures. If you don't like it, don't look.)

Next are drapes for the front picture window. I got this brainstorm from visiting Dawn at The Feathered Nest just one too many times. Yesterday, while shopping at Lowe's, I picked up the painter's cloths and I'm so excited about the possibilities.

For another thing, we're pretty sure that the upstairs rooms should be closed off to save on heat this year. That will mean that the front room will become our winter bedroom so we'll need those drapes for this window.



The next project is the ongoing one of packing up my sister's things. This is where I really miss an old blogging buddy who would often comment, "WHAT? Those things would be on the front lawn by now!"














The above bedroom is the future home of my sewing, craft room. May it be so, Lord!

This all reminds me of the old joke about the little boy who finds a dust ball under the bed and reports to his mother that somebody's either coming or going. In our case, it's both!

Well, I'd better get started on something. It's not as if I don't have plenty to do!

Enjoy a wonderful Monday and a wonderful week, too.

Fractals

Fractal: frac·tal
Pronunciation: \ˈfrak-təl\
Function: noun
Etymology: French fractale, from Latin fractus broken, uneven (past participle of frangere to break) + French -ale -al (noun suffix)
Date: 1975
: any of various extremely irregular curves or shapes for which any suitably chosen part is similar in shape to a given larger or smaller part when magnified or reduced to the same size
— fractal adjective



Some years ago, I attended a seminar where a mathematician was the featured speaker. I so wish that I remembered his name because he gave a presentation that has remained with me. The gist of it was that NOTHING in this universe is unplanned and EVERYTHING has a pattern. Patterns signify that a designer is at work.




He said that if one splatters paint on a wall, even the splotches of paint, which appear absolutely random, will, if magnified, reveal a pattern. He showed us photographs of such instances. It was pretty incredible information for this mathematically challenged gal and is reminiscent of a discussion on fractals, photographs of which you are seeing here.



The discussion of fractals features prominently in the book The Shack. Each person's life is represented as a fractal — broken, but beautiful and something that God Himself is busily working out on our behalf.

Mackenzie, my purposes are not for my comfort, or yours. My purposes are always and only an expression of love. I purpose to work life out of death, to bring freedom out of brokenness and turn darkness into light. What you see as chaos, I see as a fractal. All things must unfold... ~Papa



It's the most profoundly comforting thought. What colors are your life? What needs working through? Where are the broken places? Allow Him in, lean on Him, rest in His great love for you.

Photo Source: Google Images and I make no apology.

A Gift from Miss Sandy

This delightful little package arrived in the mail yesterday long after my feeble brain had forgotten that it was on its way. I tell you, there is something to be said for memory loss!

Miss Sandy @ Quill Cottage had a giveaway recently and, though I didn't win the big prize, I, along with all the other commenters, won this dear prize. Each one is lovely and unique. You can see for yourselves by checking out Dawn's and Vickie's.

I'm treasuring mine in a special way by using it to take note of all the sweet or funny things that John shares with me every day. It should be filled in no time.



Thank you so much, Miss Sandy! This blessed me all to pieces.

Happy Saturday, Dear Ones!

A Kitchen Table Story

Do you remember your grandmothers' kitchens? I well remember both.

Oddly enough, they were both large, square rooms where the kitchen table sat prominently center stage. In my maternal grandmother's kitchen, her dryer, refrigerator, pantry, sink, countertop, electric stove, gas stove, and Hoosier lined the walls.

In my paternal grandmother's, the countertops, sink, refrigerator, stove, sofa, and woodstove lined the walls. Yes, a sofa! I thought that it was the most marvelous thing, even as a child. Sometimes, my grandfather would lie there and snooze as my grandmother puttered about making supper. Sometimes, it was loaded with grandkids as we colored or read books. Sometimes, we were all there together in a happy clump. That kitchen was so warm with its woodstove chugging along. It had a huge reservoir of water on the side that met all the requirements of hot water for doing dishes. There was a big blue kettle that whistled along steadily always ready for a cup of tea or hot chocolate. It was in that kitchen where I first enjoyed marshmallow fluff floating on a sea of warm chocolate.

At the windows were my grandmother's red geraniums that did so beautifully all through the year...such a sunny, bright, warm kitchen it was. But I don't remember the table so well after all these years...I think it was a wooden farm table and large to accomodate all the extended family.

Now my Nan's table I remember very clearly. It was purchased in the first few years of her marriage somewhere in the early '30s. I now recognize it as "Art Deco" though as a child all I recognized were the cold white enamel top and the strong black parallel lines that decorated it, which I often traced with my finger. It has a drawer that my grandmother used for her silverware drawer. For some reason I found it particularly fun to set the table without having to fetch the forks, knives, and spoons.

One day, when I was about ten or so, I discovered that my grandmother had replaced her little table with a new one. Nothing fancy...a wood grain look top and those plastic stuffed chairs...all a neutral brown. The Art Deco table was relegated to the back corner of my grandfather's garage.

Fast forward thirty-five years or so when I was helping to clean out my grandmother's home. There sat the little table still in its corner barely visible for the oil containers, tools, and garden products covering it. It was decided that it would work well for a laundry table in one of the great-grands' homes, but it never made it that far. It sits today in my kitchen...dead center. If anyone had ever told me that I would one day claim that table and love it again, I probably would not have believed them.





It needs something...see the aqua paint. Not a favorite color for me. I think a red, perhaps yellow, might work. The original color is unknown...I do not remember and neither does my mother or grandmother. Anyone else know what it might have been?

All manner of things can be tucked beneath it...my sandals, a pie carrier, a bucket of bottled water. It serves as an island and not a place to sit down. What would I do without it?!

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Did you see that silvery moon last night? I nearly drove off the road looking at it. I'm blaming this on my newly discovered amateur (very) photographer's eye. Now why do all my neat photos have some danged electrical wires smack dab in the middle of them? At least, they point out the moon path on the water.

Here's one where the moon looked like the sun...


This is my daughter's home, which looks a little scary, but the moon rising over it was delicious.



Recently, Kathy at Lavender, Lace and Thyme tagged me with this wonderful bookworm award. Thank you so much, Kathy!


This is how it works:

* Pass this on to five blogging friends. (Three for me!)
* Open the closest book to you, not your favorite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment, to page 56.
* Write out the 5th sentence, as well as two to five sentences following that...

As it so happens, I was writing an email to a blogging friend the evening I read Kathy's blog. Living Successfully With Screwed-Up People by Elizabeth B. Brown came up in my writing; my only problem was that I couldn't remember the author so I ran to get the book and here it has been sitting ever since. I do highly recommend it, too. It's not your average run-of-the-mill, self-help book because there are many helpful suggestions, which I have been able to apply and they've worked...so far. ;>

Being walked on in a relationship is unhealthy for everyone — the one being tread on, the ones watching, and the one walking. You can not have a stable, growing relationship when one of the parties is on the floor licking boots.

I'm going to pick on some newbies to my blog because I would like to know more about them. Please know, ladies, I am never offended if you choose not to participate.

In no particular order...

1. Terri at Lakewood Manor

2. Sue at Thistle Patch Hill

3. Leah at South Breeze Farm

Have a wonderful Thursday...just two weeks to Thanksgiving...wow!